Shadow of Order
by hunter 139
Summary: Dark forces arise as a new conflict threatens to tear galaxies apart. Sequel to the Omega Chronicles and Atmos Campaign. Multicrossover.
1. Prologue

**It's time for the latest story to begin, which for those wondering, is a sequel to both Omega Chronicles and Atmos Campaign (and Intention's Eye by extension). For those who haven't read those, here's a quick recap.**

 **Darth Maul has spread his power through the criminal underworld, eventually deposing Aria T'Loak and taking control of Omega, turning the station into a mobile battle fortress.**

 **Meanwhile, Shipmaster Laccabeus and his carrier Intention's Eye have been drawn into conflict with the PMC known as the First Order. Their latest battle on the world of Atmos left both sides battered and desperate to rebuild.**

 **This story takes place after these events and will lead to interesting developments in the future. But for now, let's begin the first chapter of this latest story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect or any other franchise that appears in this story.**

* * *

 _It was over; the Flood had won._

 _Billions of worlds had fallen to the Parasite's ravenous hunger, as countless more had been consumed by the Flood. The Republic and Separatists had all but been eradicated, their leaders missing._

 _He watched as everything he built crumbled before him, his armies and fleets crushed to dust. He and his brother were all that remained, fighting a losing battle against armies of the dead._

 _A shadow loomed over them and he looked up, into the vast maw of the Gravemind. Tentacles wrapped around him, restraining and forcing him to watch his brother fell to the onslaught, returning as one of them. He looked up to the monster, feeling terror as he had never felt before._

 _"_ _ **Thank you for opening the gate.**_ _"_

 _..._

The vision had ended and Darth Maul couldn't help his panicked breathing. Focusing inward, he got himself under control, just as Savage Opress walked into his ready room, with a concerned look.

"Brother?"

"I'm fine, Savage." Maul shook his head. "It was nothing." Savage said nothing for a moment and let his brother and master clear his head before speaking.

"The other crime lords have reported that everything is currently proceeding as planned." The Nightbrother reported. "Recruitment has added thousands more to our cause."

"Excellent." Maul stood up. "Tell the bridge to take us to the Fathar system. I have business on Lorek."

Savage nodded and left, leaving Maul alone with his thoughts. Idly, he switched the security holograms on, taking a look at the skyline. Omega was barely recognizable now, with all the buildings leveled to serve as space for his factories.

The former capital of the Terminus Systems now served as his flagship, becoming a key part of the Shadow Collective operations. The remaining population of the asteroid had been enslaved to serve as labor or soldiers in his growing empire.

Quite a few had to be purged, of course, when he had toppled Aria T'Loak, but this still left just under five million sentients serving him, not even counting the others in his growing criminal empire.

And still all that paled compared to the many greater powers. He needed more allies, more resources, or he risked falling once more. And if the Flood returned... he would die before he served that monster again.

Turning away from the security console, he left the room to manage his kingdom.

...

And far away, dark laughter echoed through the stars.

* * *

Ambition.

If there was any word that described the Illusive Man (and there were a number of words that described him, with both positive and negative connotations), it would be personified in his ambition.

He had died for his foolish ambition to control the Reapers, but his clone had inherited that same ambition, and with the value of hindsight, his progenitor was clearly proven correct in his beliefs.

Now, the new Illusive Man had been reborn and under the influence and direction of the Office of Naval Intelligence, had rebuilt Cerberus from the ashes, like the Phoenix of old. But recent events had taken their toll and he knew that he had become a liability to ONI. He needed allies from elsewhere, and was currently in discussion with a potential ally right now.

General Snoke, the leader of a small Imperial PMC known as the First Order was standing before him on the holopad, listening to the Illusive Man as he outlined the offer of an alliance between the small group and the human-supremacist organization.

Once he had done all that, the Illusive Man waited as Snoke quietly mulled over his offer, letting the General come to his own conclusion, while at the same time, not letting his desperation show.

"That's all very well and good." Snoke spoke after a minute. "But it begs the question; why are you making this offer to me? Surely, there are other factions in the multiverse that could help you. Factions that have far more resources than the First Order."

"But none that share our goals." The Cerberus leader responded. "You want to bring order and human dominance to the multiverse. As do I."

He wasn't being entirely truthful, admittedly. Cerberus had quite an unpopular reputation in the multiverse at large, and reaching out to them like this wouldn't have ended well. There was also the fact that Snoke and his men were currently below ONI's notice.

After recent events since Cerberus' revival, the Illusive Man had been sure that Admiral Osman was planning to remove him, but it seemed that the chaos that had resulted from the Tevos' scandal and the subsequent events regarding Omega had drawn ONI's attention elsewhere.

Of course, that was liable to change sooner rather than later, but if they played this right, the First Order could be elevated far above what they were now. A thought that was clearly crossing Snoke's mind, given the expressions on his face.

"I shall have to discuss this further with my commanders, Illusive Man." The general said. "I'm assuming I can contact you again when I've reached a decision?"

"Of course, take all the time you need." The Illusive Man replied, watching impassively as the call terminated. "And for both of our sakes, I hope you choose correctly."

...

Snoke sighed once the connection terminated, mulling over the offer he had just received. It was tempting, he couldn't deny that, but the idea of working with the Illusive Man made his skin crawl.

The First Order leader wasn't a fool; he was aware of Cerberus' reputation, and while no saint himself, Snoke had found himself appalled at what the human-supremacist organization had stooped to. Hell, even at its height, the Empire hadn't been nearly as brutal either.

But despite his discomfort, he knew that he didn't have many options. The latest debacle on Atmos had cost the First Order dearly in troops and supplies, and the PMC was barely scraping by as is.

With Cerberus' help, they could bring themselves back from the brink, and even establish themselves to greater heights than before. If worse came to worse, he could simply have the Illusive Man killed once he was no longer useful.

But before all that, Snoke had to discuss this with Captains Hux and Phasma, as well as their Sith ally Vestara Khai. Only after hearing their seasoned opinions would he make his final decision.

* * *

Far away, in an entirely separate universe, a similar scene was happening elsewhere on the CAS-class assault carrier known as the _Intention's Eye,_ which had just emerged from the same battle the First Order had been in.

Unfortunately, the irony was lost to Shipmaster Laccabeus, who was completely unaware of what his enemy was up to, and was more focused on the offer being delivered to him via hologram by another Jiralhanae known as Atriox.

"Long ago, I made you an offer. To let you and your crew stand with me as equals." Atriox clasped his arms behind his back. "My offer still stands. Join me, and together we can accomplish great things."

"Join your Banished? Or what? You will hunt us down and have us killed?"

"I'm disappointed Shipmaster." Atriox actually was. "I have no quarrel to pick with you."

"Be that as it may, what exactly can you claim to offer us?" Laccabeus replied. "My crew has survived the worst the multiverse can throw at us. The Supreme Commander of the Republic is proof of that."

"And... what is your goal exactly?" The Banished leader pointed out. "Wander aimlessly through the multiverse, fighting anyone you come across, whittling down your forces until you're inevitably crushed? We both know your survival against the Republic leader was when he was at his least experienced and powerful. I can offer you a purpose; something beyond aimless violence."

"And what is your plan, exactly?" Laccabeus countered. "I am still connected enough to know that the Shadow Collective could match your forces. And even if you could go against the IDA and win, your army would have no chance against either the Republic or Separatists."

"Nor do I intend to go against them." The Banished Chieftain replied. "They will keep the Parasite away from us, a benefit to all."

Unlike most of the Covenant Remnant factions, the Banished had made it out of the Great Flood war relatively unscathed, due to their mastery of scavenging and raiding. However, Atriox was not deluded; he knew that the Parasite barely considered his forces worth the time when compared to the IDA and the multiversal superpowers. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but the Chieftain had always been a pragmatic being.

"And what of the IDA?" Laccabeus interjected. "The Republic and Separatists may be busy, but the InterDimensional Alliance is still far larger, more powerful, and more united than your Banished."

"The Shadow Collective might disagree." Atriox noticed Laccabeus' fist clenching at the mention of the criminal organization, and resolved to keep an eye on that. "Besides, they haven't caught us yet."

"The IDA is weak." He continued. "That Sith Lord has already proven that fact in recent times. They can be beaten, they can be broken."

"You can't possibly believe that." Laccabeus said. "If you truly think the IDA can be beaten head on, you're delusional."

"No they can't be beaten head on." Atriox agreed. "But that was never my goal."

"Do you even have a goal?" The Shipmaster repeated.

"Do you?" Atriox countered again. "I'd say you were trying to commit some form of suicide, but that's never been your style. And yet since you've returned, you've lost soldiers, equipment and vehicles in petty and pointless conflicts. How many of your troops have survived your latest conflict with the First Order?" The words stung and Laccabeus couldn't help the low growl that rumbled from his throat.

Unfortunately, Laccabeus couldn't deny the truth of Atriox's words: his forces were getting depleted with each battle, both in manpower and equipment. The latter was especially prominent after their escape from Atmos; in their haste to escape the Flood, and the Republic and Separatists, the _Intention's Eye_ had to leave behind a lot of material.

Oh they had grabbed whatever they could and scrapped anything they couldn't, but the outcome was still the same. Laccabeus was low on supplies to feed his troops, and low on weapons and vehicles to even equip them for another battle. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed help.

"Very well." Laccabeus said, sighing inwardly as he did. "Send me the coordinates of where you want to meet. We'll discuss this further."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. I know it was kinda slow, and I'm not going to lie, the next few chapters aren't going to have a whole lot of action in them, but it will pick up eventually, I promise you that.**

 **Anyway, with all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter in this latest story, and reviews are always welcome.**


	2. Alliances

**Alright, and so we begin the second chapter. Once again, it will mostly consist of talking, but unfortunately that can't be helped. There will be some action here, but not a whole lot. Large scale action scenes are still some time away.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the franchises that appear in this chapter, but I do own this story.**

* * *

It had been over a month since Laccabeus and the crew of the _Intention's Eye_ had joined up with Atriox and his Banished, and since that time, the Shipmaster had risen rapidly through the ranks of the brutal meritocracy to answer directly to Atriox himself.

Part of that was of course due to what Laccabeus and his crew brought to the table; ever since the destruction of the _Enduring Conviction_ at the Ark, the naval forces of Atriox had lacked an assault carrier.

The _Eye_ was now the most powerful ship in the Banished fleet, having their equipment, weapons and vehicles updated to match the Banished aesthetic, and for the first time in nearly five decades, was capable of having its hangers completely filled with Banished troops.

And Atriox had plenty to spare; Laccabeus had always known that Atriox had managed to gain some of the most support from the former Covenant species, but until recently, he had never known just how large that number was.

Even after all these years, through the formation of the IDA, and the Great Flood War, the Banished forces numbered in the low millions (most of them Unggoy), with thousands of vehicles and aircraft, all of which had been modified aesthetically and otherwise.

Thanks to their skill with creating bases of all types, not to mention the rather impressive cloaking technology and RnD behind them, the Banished were almost completely self-sufficient. Almost.

Despite everything, Atriox's navy was rather small. Even Jul 'Mdama's Covenant had had a larger force available to them. It was rather telling that the _Intention's Eye_ was the most powerful vessel in the fleet.

Furthermore, Atriox's ambitious plan to take control of the Ark and construct a Halo for himself hadn't gone very well; first an old human ship had removed a Halo from the Ark and out of his reach, then the surviving Flood aboard High Charity had been released, further damaging the Banished forces until the Sentinels pushed them back.

The Banished eventually had to concede control of the Ark, abandoning the extragalactic construct, which was now in the hands of the Republic. This meant that any attempt by Atriox to try his plan again was doomed to failure.

After the Ark fiasco, the Banished had laid low, letting larger events unfold. This allowed Atriox and his forces to avoid much of the Great Flood War where other Covenant factions perished.

Now it was time to see what that would gain them. Laccabeus stepped away from his command chair and stood near the holotable, joining the gathering of Banished commanders that were meeting here.

Atriox, Let 'Volir, Colony, and Pavium were the main commanders present, who were discussing what exactly the next move of the Banished would be now that they had the _Intention's Eye_.

"We need more supplies." Fleetmaster 'Volir was saying. "Our current stock is holding for now, but we cannot replenish them so easily these days."

"More raids are needed." The two brothers of Colony spoke as one. "But we must be cautious."

"Agreed. The IDA have cracked down on a lot of material goods." Laccabeus said. "Getting the equipment we need is proving to be difficult."

"Well, I have another plan in mind." The Chieftain of the Banished said. "We need allies, and I can think of a very powerful one to have."

...

After explaining his plan, Atriox was unsurprised to hear dissenting opinions among a few of his top commanders, Laccabeus being among the most vocal. It wasn't too surprising, given the rumors, but the Chieftain's rather narrow-minded focus on having been wronged in the past could get grating.

"We cannot trust that Sith Lord." Laccabeus was saying, at least focusing on aspects that weren't the result of the _Eye's_ stranding.

"You said yourself that the Banished forces are equal to the Shadow Collective." Atriox replied. "We cannot afford a war with them, and an alliance would benefit us."

"I must agree with Shipmaster Laccabeus." Let 'Volir spoke up. "Darth Maul is currently the most wanted being in IDA space. Any alliance with him would paint a larger target on us."

"Perhaps." Atriox admitted. "But there are risks in almost everything we do these days. ONI almost certainly is aware that we are still active, and worse comes to worse, Maul will almost certainly be the IDA's bigger target. Besides, the advantages of an alliance outweigh the disadvantages."

"What of his previous alliance with the Flood?" Pavium asked. "For all anyone knows, he could still serve them."

Pavium and his brother Voridus had been given a rather brutal wake up call regarding the Parasite during their campaign on the Ark. The latter had foolishly disregarded the reports from High Charity, allowing the Flood within to be unleashed while attempting to salvage the holy city.

The resulting outbreak had disrupted Atriox's plans to hold the Ark, and by the time the Flood had been re-contained, the Banished forces had suffered heavy casualties, which contributed to how easily they were then driven from the Forerunner construct.

Atriox had not been happy with either brother, the younger Voridus in particular.

Despite the devastation, Atriox had spared Voridus, recognizing his strength as a warrior and his skill with Forerunner technology were too valuable to lose. But he didn't get away unscathed, and after suffering the Warmaster's wrath, Voridus henceforth always followed Atriox's instructions to the letter.

Regardless, neither brother had forgotten that day, and with Parasite still loose in the multiverse and all the events they had orchestrated, Pavium's concern was a valid one. Atriox had his own misgivings as well, but the benefits were well worth it.

"A fair concern, Pavium. We will deal with that if necessary. Nevertheless, I feel it prudent that I meet with this Sith Lord to discuss a potential alliance with him."

"Very well." Laccabeus sighed. "If you'll permit me Atriox, I shall have Commander Halmat deliver the message."

"Good. The Silent Shadow will go with him." Atriox said. "I don't want to risk one of our best Elites on a mission like this."

While he wasn't being dishonest, Laccabeus knew that Atriox was sending along his own Spec Ops warriors to ensure that Laccabeus wouldn't order Halmat to assassinate Maul if the chance arose. While they were in the Banished, the majority of Laccabeus' crew remained loyal to him, something Halmat shared.

Unlike the Prophets, Atriox recognized this fact, and while it could pose a problem, he was too pragmatic to throw away good resources on mere suspicions. Though if Laccabeus' forces tried anything, the Banished Warmaster would destroy them without any hesitation, seeing as the vast majority of the Banished would follow Atriox over anyone else.

"As you wish." Laccabeus said.

...

In a secluded room, over a secure channel, the Illusive Man and General Snoke were discussing just what kind of people and support they would need if the First Order was to truly grow into something far more powerful. One suggestion by the Cerberus leader was former GA Chief of State Natasi Daala.

"Daala?" Snoke scoffed. "She's barely been active since the IDA was founded. What could she offer us?"

"Support and Political legitimacy." The Illusive Man replied. "Even after all these years, there are some who still support Daala's time as Chief of State and her attempt to take control of the Imperial Remnant."

"Then those people are kriffing idiots." Snoke mumbled under his breath before speaking out loud. "I'm impressed that you know all this."

"Cerberus isn't lacking intelligence sources, despite what many think."

"Your reputation precedes you." Snoke smirked. "There's been claims that Cerberus couldn't run a taco cart without it getting loose and killing all their guys."

If the Illusive Man felt anything from that jab at his organization, he gave no sign. Instead he took another drag from his cigarette and put the rest out in the ash tray on his chair.

"We've improved since then." He said simply. "And more to the point, we know exactly how to hurt the governments. Daala's influence and resources could help with that."

"Alright, I'll reach out to her. She might've heard of me back in our Imperial days." Snoke sighed. "Anyone else we might want to ask?"

"There is one person who could be a boon to us." A dossier appeared over the channel, which was promptly transferred to Snoke's data pad. "Ilsa Zane."

"I've heard that name before." Snoke gave the file a brief look. "Some sort of Spartan-IV prototype. I thought she was killed in the Great Flood War."

"That's what ONI wanted everyone to think." The Illusive Man took a sip from his drink. "She's currently on the run, but we have a number of leads on her thanks to ONI."

"And are you sure we want someone like her?" The former assassin asked. "She seems rather... unstable."

"She wants a cause to follow now that the New Colonial Alliance is gone." The Illusive Man took a drag from his cigarette. "And we can give her one."

"If you say so. I'm assuming the UNSC is after her as well?"

"It's a safe assumption." The Cerberus leader said. "But with recent Citadel politics and the hunt for Maul, they likely have other issues at the moment."

"Here's hoping." The Imperial assassin nodded. "Contact me when we know more."

The hologram of the Illusive Man simply vanished, the Cerberus leader clearly having nothing more to say. Once he was gone, Snoke activated the comm on his desk, linking up to Captain Hux.

"Did we get his location?"

"Negative." The Captain sounded frustrated as well. "Another failure."

"We'll have to try a different approach." Snoke sighed. "In the meantime, I've uploaded the coordinates for Daala's last known location to the bridge. Get us there immediately."

Hux gave his acknowledgement and closed the link, leaving Snoke alone with his thoughts. In the past couple months, the First Order had been slowly been replenishing their losses, with support from Cerberus.

They had ironed out a relatively stable alliance, but the ex-Imperial assassin knew that it was not likely to last forever. Snoke knew the organization would be useful, but the Illusive Man needed to be eliminated sooner or later.

Of course, the Cerberus leader wasn't stupid enough to allow his transmissions to be tracked, so they would clearly need another method to find him. Still, sooner or later, the Illusive Man would slip up. And the First Order would be prepared to benefit from it.

In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to gain more allies to their cause. And as much as he disliked Admiral Natasi Daala, he wasn't going to throw away a potential resource because of his emotions.

* * *

"Well, this is going great." Felix groaned as gunfire peppered his cover. "So much for an easy recruitment mission."

"Quiet." Locus growled, taking aim and firing.

A Trandoshan fell back from his position, missing most of his head. This prompted the rest of his comrades to retaliate, forcing the green armored merc back in cover as well. A pair of beserkers rushed towards them with knives, using their allied fire as cover, but both were struck down by a pair of Felix's throwing knives.

It was supposed to be a simple mission; recruit this gang of Trandoshan slavers/mercs into the fold of the Shadow Collective. Unfortunately, the leader hadn't been interested in their offer and had instead attempted to capture them.

So their leader now had a knife planted in his skull, which the rest of the mercs didn't take too kindly to. Now, they were pinned down in the walled preserve, with a Trandoshan heavy merc armed with a heavy repeater keeping the two humans pinned down.

"Where the hell are our reinforcements?"

"They should've been here by now." Locus replied, his own frustration making itself known. "Keep them occupied, I'll try to contact them."

"Just hurry up, then." Felix fired blindly over his cover and was rewarded with a scream.

However, just as Locus got on the comms, something strange happened. Panicked screaming and firing emerged from the Trandoshan lines, none of which was caused by them.

Felix peeked over his cover, only to find half a dozen dead Trandoshans and a clear battle going on between them and something else, if the stuttered weapon fire and flashes of red light were any indication.

"How ominous." Felix drawled, while Locus made his way towards the fighting.

"Unit 4, change of plans." He said, taking cover at a tree. "The Trandoshans are being massacred by something. We need backup immediately."

"Acknowledged, ETA 2 minutes."

The two mercenaries cautiously entered back into the Trandoshan camp, where they found a rather large blood bath. The slavers had been cut to pieces by some sort of energy blade, that was pretty clear from the many severed body parts lying around the area. Felix whistled at the sight.

"Very impressive."

"Why thank you." The two mercs spun around, their guns trained on a Sangheili wearing silver Ascetic armor standing behind them. "I take pride in my work."

"Who are you?" Locus demanded, cocking his shotgun.

"You can call me Commander Halmat." The Elite said. "Please, lower your weapons. I am not here to fight you."

"You know, for some reason, I find that hard to believe." Felix said, keeping his own weapon trained on the Sangheili.

There was a crackle of energy and a blood red glow appeared behind them. Felix's shoulders sagged as he sighed, before turning to look behind him. Two more Sangheili were standing there, dressed in advanced armor with cycloptic visors on their helmets. Red energy swords were held in their hands, and they made it perfectly clear they were willing to use them.

"So, I take it this is an 'if I wanted you dead, I would've killed you already' situation?" Felix asked.

"More or less." Halmat admitted. "We only wish to speak with your leader."

"And why is that?" Locus growled.

"Because our Master would like to make an alliance with him."

It was at that moment that Maul's Death Watch soldiers finally arrived, several landing through the open areas behind the Elites, while four more hovered in the air with their jetpacks. All of them currently had their blasters trained on them.

"Freeze!"

"Hold your fire." Locus ordered, halting the Mandalorians before turning his attention back to the Elites. "You said you wanted an alliance with Darth Maul?"

"Precisely." Halmat replied. "And we can offer him far, far more than this band of slavers."

"Well you better hope so." Felix said, lowering his weapon as Locus did the same. "Cause I'm not sure Lord Maul will be happy that you killed off those he was trying to recruit."

* * *

It had been months since Darth Maul and the bulk of his Shadow Collective had fled from the Omega Nebula, bringing the titular space station with them as they fled deeper into the Terminus Systems.

Admittedly, Maul hadn't anticipated Aria's failsafe that activated after he killed her, nor did he expect the amount of political chaos that had erupted in Council space as a result. But it was still beneficial to him regardless, Tevos' exposed corruption having shaken the already fragile bonds of the IDA and leaving them less focused on locating Omega.

That's not to say that it had been an easy time: Maul was still the number one fugitive on the IDA's hit list and had to constantly keep moving in order to stay ahead. He had already lost a number of ships in failed ambushes, as well as troops and supplies while rallying the Terminus Systems.

Unfortunately, the Terminus hadn't provided as much support as he would've liked. True to form, jumped up warlords of all types had sprung into action when the IDA had arrived to take Omega in force, but they were disorganized, and in the confusion many of them were brutally put down by the military forces of the Council, UNSC, Sangheili and GA, leaving the Shadow Collective with little to rally.

Of course, this had the secondary effect of eroding the Council's authority, as their long held desire to avoid fighting the Terminus Systems was now in question considering how easily the IDA together had broken their back, which combined with Tevos' revealed corruption, further lowered the Council's standing in the eyes of many.

His musings were interrupted by the beeping of the holocomm. It appeared Locus and Felix had something to report. Keying the controls, he made the booth's windows opaque before accepting the call.

"Report." He greeted as the armored figures appeared in front of him.

"Sir, the Trandoshans declined our offer." Locus said.

"And more to the point, tried to kill us." Felix added, earning a glare from his partner.

"How disappointing." Maul sighed. "But I sense that you have some more news for me."

"Yes sir. We've met up with a group of Spec Ops Sangheili. They claim to serve a group that's interested in making an alliance with the Shadow Collective."

"Interesting. And is this emissary with you now?" Locus nodded and stepped to the side, allowing a Sangheili in silver armor with a tusked helmet to walk into the projection.

"Lord Maul. I am Commander Halmat."

"Commander. While I am interested in such a proposal, I'd be much more willing to know who your leader is."

"His name is Atriox." Halmat replied. "The leader of the Banished."

"How theatrical." Felix drawled but Maul cut him off.

"I've heard stories of this Banished. I was unaware of they still existed." The Zabrak was intrigued. "You've kept off the radar for a long time it seems."

"Indeed we have." Halmat crossed his arms. "Are you willing to ally with us?"

The Sith Lord sat back in his chair, seemingly considering the offer. Which he was, as while he was worried this might be a trap, the offer was far too good to pass up, especially if the reports of the Banished capabilities were still true.

They could benefit from each other. Maul's forces had a fairly effective fleet, but his ground forces left something to be desired. Despite some rather impressive technology and skilled mercenaries, the bulk of his ground soldiers still consisted of slave soldiers and even outdated battle droids.

As such, any raids they made had to be against lightly defended targets, though that was always a likelihood anyway, what with the still superior manpower and technology of the IDA groups.

During one such raid, they had lucked out and had managed to acquire some of the more esoteric of UNSC weaponry. Locus in particular had gotten his hands on the SAW variant known simply as the Answer.

Regardless of those victories though, it was clear that the Sith Lord needed more support no matter from where. Keeping that in mind, he brought his attention back to the conversation.

"I am willing to agree to an alliance." The Zabrak started. "However, I must request a face to face meeting with your leader if we are to have one."

"I understand." Halmat said. "However, such a meeting may take some time to set up."

"Well then, we best get started."

* * *

It took nearly two weeks for a meeting between Darth Maul and Atriox to get set up, partially due to distrust and paranoia on the side of the Sith. The Shadow Collective couldn't help but question whether or not this was all an IDA sting operation to catch their leader.

Still in the end, with increasing communication, they were eventually able to hash out a time and place where both sides agreed to meet in order to discuss where they stood with each other.

The meeting point was an old space station orbiting a gas giant. Both sides were present with their strongest vessels (the _Intention's Eye_ for the Banished and Omega for the Shadow Collective) as well as a supporting fleet for each.

The station had been swept for tracking devices, listening devices and explosives by advanced teams, making sure that no one could eavesdrop or interrupt this meeting. Once that was done, the two sides sent their ships over.

Atriox was deployed in a Lich, with a squadron of Banshees and Seraphs providing escorts and a pair of Spirits providing extra manpower. Meanwhile, Maul was taking his personal Kom'rk fighter, with two more deployed alongside him. StarVipers and Skipray Blastboats provided the needed fire cover.

Soon, the leaders of the two factions met face to face, along with their guards. Atriox and his Brutes and Elites absolutely towered over Darth Maul and his Mandalorians and mercenaries. Even Savage Oppress was still shorter than Atriox by a head.

Whereas Maul and his best warriors had survived against a Spartan-II by mere luck, Atriox had fought three Spartan-IIs single-handedly, utterly dominating them alone. In fact, the only reason that super soldiers had survived the bout was because Atriox had allowed them to.

For his part, Atriox was amused at the irony of his situation. He was currently forming an alliance with a group whose current flagship could be described as High Charity 2.0. Even a good chunk of the Banished found this highly amusing.

"Darth Maul." Atriox greeted, the use of the Darth honorific showing he considered the Sith his equal. "It's good to meet you face to face."

"Likewise Atriox." If the Sith was in any way slighted, he didn't show it. "Now then, I believe we have much to discuss."

* * *

 **Alright, well I guess that's where we leave that. Not a whole lot of action right now, and honestly I can't say for sure when it will pick up. However, I have hope that this story will get far more interesting soon.**

 **Anyway, with all that said, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	3. Misunderstandings

**Alright, and onto the latest chapter. Now, it's clear that the version of Star Wars I'm using in my stories is basically a mix of Disney and Legends at this point, which will become pretty clear given the characters being introduced in this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect or anything else that may appear in this story.**

* * *

General Snoke walked through the grimy city, appropriately dressed the part of a passing traveler. Scattered in plainclothes were several of Phasma's best soldiers, along with a squad of cloaked Terror Troopers if things went south.

It had been a long time since being discreet like this had been necessary, but his assassin training allowed him to blend in with ease, changing his appearance, his gait, everything to ensure no one recognized. Not that many would.

It had been a fairly difficult process to even contact Daala, let alone set up a meeting with her. The former Chief of State was understandably paranoid about being found, and he had barely managed to convince her to speak with him at all.

She had arranged this little meeting in a tavern, somewhere public to no doubt keep him from killing her. Of course, if he was after her head, a little thing like public murder wouldn't stop him, but luckily for her, that wasn't the case today.

"We're in position, sir." Phasma's voice came over the comlink as he approached the tavern.

"Do not act without my orders." Snoke said. "I'm not going to risk spooking her, right now."

Once Phasma gave her acknowledgement, he walked through the door, casually making his way towards the bar. The bartender, a disinterested looking Ithorian, barely spared him a glance as he approached.

"What can I get for you?"

"Just seeing the sights." Snoke said. "Hoth is lovely this time of year."

At the code phrase, the Bartender grew more attentive, then gestured to a door at the far end of the tavern. "In there." Snoke walked inside, and was greeted by a pair of armed guards with blasters pointed at him.

"Move through the weapon scanner." One of them ordered, gesturing to the metal archway in front of them. He did, and after the scan and getting frisked down to ensure he wasn't hiding any weapons, the guards finally lowered theirs and one spoke into a comlink.

"He's clean." At that, Daala herself walked in through a concealed entrance in the wall.

"Forgive me for the precaution." She said. "An ex-assassin of Darth Vader is a bit of a concern."

She took a seat at the nearest table and after a moment, Snoke joined her, sitting on the opposite side of her.

"I see your paranoia hasn't changed much." Snoke commented. "Even after all these years."

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Her eyes narrowed. "Though given your past history, I might question for how long."

"Natasi, if I wanted to assassinate you, calling you and asking for a face to face meeting on your terms would be counter-productive to that end." The guards tensed, but Daala nodded.

"A fair point." She agreed. "Then, I suppose I won't waste any more of your precious time. You said you had an offer?"

"I did." Snoke then proceeded to outline his plan, about how the First Order could benefit and how Daala could provide them with legitimacy that could keep the rest of the IDA off her back. She was silent for a long moment.

"You seem to think I care anymore." Daala finally said, a weary tone in her voice. "It's been over forty years since I held power in either the Galactic Alliance or Imperial Remnant. Wynn Dorvan and Vitor Reige have clearly led them quite well in my absence. I'm not sure how they could benefit from my leadership."

"The IDA seems stable on the surface, but it's become bloated and corrupt since then." Snoke replied. "Look at their failure to catch Darth Maul. Now his Shadow Collective is running around while the IDA wastes time and energy bickering. They need new and decisive leadership, which the First Order could provide if given the opportunity."

"So what, you want me to endorse your First Order as something other than the PMC it is?" Daala arched her brow skeptically. "How much influence do you think I have?"

"More than you realize." Snoke said, resisting the urge to mutter something else.

"And if I refuse?"

"That wouldn't be a wise decision."

The unexpected voice caused the guards to take aim, only to be thrown aside by an invisible push. Vestara Khai walked into the room, one hand on her lightsaber with the other ready to throw Force Lightning if necessary.

"Ah, Miss Khai, is it?" Daala gave Snoke a shrewd look. "You have a Sith working with you? I thought most of them were extinct."

"They are." Snoke replied. "Besides from Darth Maul and his brother, Vestara here is the last Sith."

"Well, you've abused my hospitality." Daala said, her eyes narrowing. "I don't take kindly to attacks against my staff."

The guards took aim as Vestara's lightsaber flared into existence, before she got in a combat ready position. Daala had her own blaster in hand and pointed at Snoke, who just sat unconcerned. The tense moment was interrupted by Snoke's comlink.

"Sir, we may have a problem."

* * *

Earlier

Hera Syndulla sat in the cockpit of the Ghost, gazing out into the void of hyperspace. It was rare that she had moments like this, where there was no upcoming mission to plan, no battle to fight and no childish activities to break up.

She knew what kind of risky activities she would likely come across while in a relationship with a Jedi, not to mention these missions were just as much her idea as his, but it was still nice to enjoy the peace while she had it.

"Credit for your thoughts?"

She smiled at the sound of the voice that appeared as the cockpit door opened and the wafting aroma of hot chocolate. Kanan Jarrus handed her a cup before sitting down in the chair next to her.

"It's just nice to have some peace and quiet around here."

He couldn't deny that: the two of them had met after the end of the Great Flood war, when everyone was still rebuilding. As a Jedi, Kanan was needed all across the galaxy, and with Hera working with the GA to deliver whatever supplies she could, well, they ended up working together quite a lot.

Since then, they had picked up a few more individuals in their travels, including a young teenager named Ezra Bridger, who became Kanan's apprentice when his Force-sensitivity was discovered.

Meanwhile, Hera's ship, an old VCX-100 light freighter had become one of those ships that were often tapped by the Jedi for use whenever they needed to get around the galaxy, something that Hera was glad to help with.

Lately, these GA sanctioned transports and Jedi had been tapped more and more, to aid in the search and capture of the Shadow Collective leader Darth Maul alongside other IDA task forces.

"Well don't get used to it." Kanan sighed. "Considering everything that's happened in the last few months, I'm expecting another mission sooner than later."

"Then, I guess we better make some time then." She said, and the sultry tone brought a smile to Kanan's face.

"I was hoping you'd say that." She stood up as he approached, and he wrapped her in his embrace, his fingers running over her back.

She kissed him, running her hand over his cheek while her other arm wrapped around his shoulder. His hands wrapped around her waist, drawing Hera closer to him. It was so rare that they had moments like this, where it was just the two of them.

Naturally, it got interrupted by the pinging of the comms.

"So much for the peace and quiet." Kanan sighed as they broke apart. He turned to the comm terminal as the text appeared on the screen. "Looks like there's an incident on Sarrish. Someone's claiming that Imperial troopers have been seen in one of the towns."

"Couldn't the GA just call the Imperial Remnant and ask them about it?"

"They did." Kanan replied. "The Imperials are claiming they're not involved, and we're close to the system."

"I'll set a course." Hera said. "Still, if it's not the Remnant, then who is it? And why out here?"

"I guess that's what we're going to find out."

...

A few hours later, the Ghost had touched down at the space port, allowing the away team to debark. While Hera and Chopper would stay on the ship in case they needed a quick exit, Kanan, alongside his apprentice Ezra Bridger, their Mandalorian weapon expert Sabine Wren, and their Lasat warrior Garazeb Orrelios, would take a look around.

"Now remember, we need to be discreet." Kanan was saying. "We don't want to start a firefight in the middle of the city."

"Be subtle and don't cause a panic." Ezra repeated. "Understood."

"You think these Imperials are going to be moving about in the open like this?" Zeb asked.

"Hey, if the reports say they saw white armor, then they likely will be noticeable." Sabine noted. "Pure white buckets don't exactly scream subtle."

"You're one to talk." Ezra snarked, nodding at Sabine's rather distinctively colored armor.

"Keep your comlinks on." Kanan interjected, getting them all focused on the task at hand. "If anyone spots anything suspicious, alert us all immediately."

After giving their acknowledgements, the four of them split up, heading in separate directions. Ezra's path took him through the marketplace, just watching as individuals of all species made their way through the crowds, some occasionally stopping to buy or sell at some of the booths.

A smile crept onto the young Jedi's face: he had always enjoyed this; just seeing people go through their daily lives, unaffected by the conflicts that seemed to rage constantly throughout the multiverse.

His thoughts were interrupted by what felt like a nudge in the Force. A dark aura was nearby, he could sense that much. Grabbing his comlink, he flipped the switch and called his Master.

"Kanan do you feel that?"

"Yeah, I do."

"For those of us who can't use the Force." Zeb's voice broke over the comlink. "Care to explain what you're sensing?"

"Darkness." The Jedi Knight said simply. "There's another Force-user nearby, one with knowledge of the Dark Side. Stay on alert."

"Wait." Ezra's eyes narrowed as he spotted a woman wearing a long brown cloak walking away from him through the crowd. "Kanan, I think I see them."

"Where are you?"

"In the marketplace." Ezra said. "I'm going to follow him."

"Do not engage." Kanan ordered. "We'll be there shortly. Don't escalate things any further."

Turning down the alleyway as well, Ezra was surprised to find that his quarry had vanished. Cautiously, he walked down the alcove, searching and listening for any signs of the Darksider.

He didn't have to wait. The slightest scuff behind him caused Ezra to spin around, his lightsaber hilt in hand. With the proximity, he now could make out several important distinctions about this being.

Firstly, he was actually a she, an albino skinned female humanoid behind that hood. And despite the concealing clothing, Ezra was able to get a decent look at her face, recognizing it from the mission reports about non-Jedi Force-users still active in the multiverse.

It was Asajj Ventress.

"Jedi!" The hooded woman hissed. At that moment, Kanan appeared in the alleyway as well.

"Stand down lady." Kanan ordered, his lightsaber ingniting along with Ezra's. "We're taking you in."

"Oh I don't think so."

Two red lightsabers sprung to life in her hands, as Ezra and Kanan raised their own. Ezra leapt in first, his strike being intercepted by Ventress' blade, before she kicked him away, then ducked underneath Kanan's follow up strike.

She retaliated with a jab, which he easily parried, before she kicked him in the chest. Then she blocked Ezra's strike as it came from behind and Force pushed him into the wall. She leapt forward to finish him off, but Kanan retaliated with a massive Force push, sending her flying into the marketplace.

...

Screaming punctuated the air as Sabine made her way to the marketplace, using her jetpack to bypass most of the streets and panicked crowds as she took to the rooftop. It didn't take her very long to get to the conflict sight, as green and blue energy blades clashed with a pair of red ones.

"So much for being discreet." The Mandalorian sighed, switching on her comlink. "Zeb, where are you?"

"I'm in the southwest quadrant." The Lasat warrior replied. "Are you seeing this?"

"Kinda hard to miss." Sabine snarked. "They're certainly making a scene."

"What should we do?"

"Try to even the odds for them." Sabine replied, jetting closer to the battle.

As soon as she saw Ventress jump back to regain her bearings, Sabine opened up with her blasters, forcing the Dark Jedi to focus on deflecting the blaster bolts. Seconds later, more blasterfire emerged from behind Ventress as Zeb joined in.

Between the two streams of energy bolts, Ventress was forced on the defensive, and as a result was caught off guard when the two Jedi attacked again, forcing her even more on the defensive.

Between the two Jedi and the other members of the Ghost crew, Ventress was quickly overwhelmed, and a hard kick knocked her away. Ezra used the Force to enhance his blows and knocked one lightsaber out of her hand before Kanan knocked her to the ground with a Force push.

Standing over her, Kanan's saber blade was pointed at Asajj's throat, and seconds later, Ezra's was right beside him. Sabine and Zeb also approached, aiming their blasters and bo-rifle at the Dark Jedi respectively. Then a commanding voice appeared behind them.

"Drop your weapons."

They turned to see three individuals behind them with their weapons pointed at the Ghost crew. One was a Turian in silver-blue armor, another was a human female in blue armor, and the third was a human male in N7 armor. And a second later, they all recognized just who it was.

"Commander Shepard?!" Ezra's jaw dropped. "What are you doing here?"

"We were following a lead on the location of Admiral Natasi Daala." The Commander's aim didn't waver. "And I'd appreciate it if you would stop threatening my crew member."

"Your crew member?!" Ezra, Sabine and Zeb repeated in shock.

"You do know who this is?" Kanan asked.

"I do." Shepard narrowed his eyes. "I know who she is, I know what she's done. Asajj isn't the first morally questionable individual I've had on my team."

With a moment of hesitation, the Ghost crew lowered their weapons, allowing Ventress to get to her feet. She quickly walked over to Shepard's team, who had also put their weapons away at Shepard's gesture.

"Now, who are you, and what are you doing here?" Kanan quickly answered, introducing every member of his team.

"As for why we're here, the GA got reports of seemingly rogue Imperials here and we were the closest ship." Kanan's eyes narrowed. "But this is the first I'm hearing about Admiral Daala. How do you know she's here?"

"We got some more... recent intelligence." Was all Garrus said.

"Uh huh." Ezra crossed his arms. "And who would that be, I wonder?"

"None of your concern, kid." Ashley replied. "Especially since you just started a fight with one of our crew members."

"And lost our only chance to find her." Garrus said. "You can bet that a lightsaber duel in a crowded marketplace will alert her."

Any steam the argument might've had died in the next moment. Sirens emerged from the background as the planet's law enforcement closed in. The crew of the Ghost and Normandy looked around.

"Well, if Daala wasn't tipped off before, she certainly would be now." Sabine snarked.

* * *

A few minutes earlier

"Captain? What's happening?" Snoke ignored the blasters pointed in his direction.

"There's a duel happening in the marketplace." Came the reply. "Two Jedi battling someone with red blades. Wait a second..." Snoke was about to ask when Phasma spoke again.

"Fierfek, it looks like Commander Shepard is here as well." Phasma cursed. "Sir, we have to go. The Jedi have distracted them, but it won't be for long."

"Your security's been compromised." Snoke said, focusing back on Daala. "Two Jedi are here, along with Commander Shepard. No doubt they're looking for you."

"Or they could've followed you." The ex-Chief of State countered.

"It's a possibility," Snoke admitted. "But I doubt our little PMC rates two Jedi and a Republic backed Spectre."

That was a blatant lie. Considering that they had Republic agents disrupting their operations even before their excursion to Atmos, Snoke knew they had long since warranted the attention of the superpowers. Granted, the two they fought weren't technically Republic agents, but it wasn't much of a comfort.

Of course, it wouldn't do well to let Daala know about that.

"We can help you escape." He continued. "Find you a new haven."

"And in exchange, I give you all the support you want and my continued freedom?" Daala guessed. Snoke shrugged.

"That's the way the multiverse works." There was a long moment of silence before Daala spoke again.

"Fine." She growled, gesturing to her guards to stand down before she stood up. "Lead the way."

* * *

 **Alright, and that's the end of this chapter. I know it was kinda short, but it was something I had to get out of the way for this story. Still, I hope did this well enough.**

 **Anyway, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, but it will be sooner rather than later. I do know that it will heavily focus on the Banished, if anyone is looking forward to that.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	4. Recruiting

**Alright, here's the next chapter of Shadow of Order, this time focusing a bit more heavily on the Banished. And unlike the last chapters, there will be a lot more action this time around.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

In the silence of space, a slipspace rupture opened in a violent crackle of energy. The bulk of the assault carrier _Intention's Eye_ emerged from the rift, hiding behind the moon of the world known as Kal-Riv.

Lying on the border of the Terminus Systems and the Attican Traverse, it was one of the few colonies in the Terminus that was free of Darth Maul's influence, due to its proximity to Alliance space.

In a gesture of their newfound alliance, the Banished were here at the behest of Atriox to convince the people of Kal-Riv that joining the Shadow Collective was in their best interest. Atriox was onboard to oversee some of the aspects, but the bulk of this operation would fall under Laccabeus' purview.

"Begin landing preparations." Laccabeus ordered. "Keep the _Eye_ hidden for the time being. Once the comm relays and communication towers are crippled, we will launch a full scale attack."

Everyone set to work while Laccabeus walked back over to the holotable, where Atriox was standing. He was looking at a holographic representation of the planet's capital city, a massive den of scum and villainy.

"This should be quite a simple operation." Atriox said. Knowing what he was doing, Laccabeus shook his head.

"At a glance it is," he started. "But there are many things that can go wrong with improper intelligence, such as hidden comm towers or escape ships."

"And I trust you've taken those into account." Atriox nodded, pleased at the Shipmaster's passing of his test.

"Indeed I have." Laccabeus said. "Halmat will be leading the sabotage operation against the comm stations. They'll never know until it's too late."

"Then you know your job." Atriox turned away. "So get to work."

With the _Eye_ concealed for the moment, the Banished quietly launched their preparations, setting up a Fortress several kilometers outside the city limits, which was quickly concealed by a cloaking device.

Their mission was simple: launch a stealth incursion against the communications hub and spaceport, crippling both so that the main Banished assault force could land unhindered, with no chance of help for the residents.

Once there was no chance of the Alliance coming to the planet's aid, the _Eye_ would launch a full scale attack, until the residents surrendered. It would've been so much easier to simply wipe them all out, but Darth Maul had requested that the people be intimidated into submission, a request Atriox was willing to oblige, for now.

Spec Ops commander Halmat was one of the leaders who had been deployed here, along with a first strike unit of Silent Blade Spec Ops Elites and a small contingent of Jiralhanae Stalkers. The rest of the warriors were preparing the base to be a staging area for the intended ground assault.

"You all know the mission." Halmat said, turning to the stealth team. "Our primary objective is to take out the communications tower and cripple any ships at the spaceport. They can't know we're coming, so it must be done at the same time."

...

Hours later, the team was just outside the city, having taken a pair of Shadows to close much of the gap before disembarking the APCs and walking the last two kilometers on foot.

Now they stood just outside the city limits and Halmat took a much more thorough look at Kal-Riv's capital. He had thought it was severely underwhelming and the close proximity now had done nothing to change that opinion.

The outskirts could barely be called a city, considering the tents and more ramshackle nature of the residence buildings. Even the roads were barely that; being dirt tracks instead of being made of concrete or metal. Individuals of multiple species could be seen all over the place, all of them clearly criminals.

They even observed several shoplifters running out into the road with an elderly shopkeeper shouting for them to stop and no one even batted an eye. Still, the Elites and Brutes remained cloaked as they made their way through the urban jungle.

Soon however, they arrived at a gate leading to the upper city, where both of their objectives were located. Armed guards were posted at the checkpoint, their weapons and armor far more advanced when compared to the ramshackle equipment in the outskirts.

But what was advanced here was but a brief delay to the Banished forces, and soon they had made their way into the upper city completely undetected. From here, Halmat and his team were forced to slow their progress due to the larger presence of armed guards on the asphalt sidewalks.

Fortunately, the mercs were not hugely attentive, having no doubt been on guard duty many time before with little in the way of any actual combat experience in the much safer upper city.

Soon, the Banished lances were at a crossroads, and quickly split up. One team, led by Halmat, would sabotage the comm hub, while the rest were sent to the spaceport, armed with explosives to ensure no one left.

The communications hub of the city had several guards patrolling around and inside of it, but like the others, they were bored and inattentive, as no one on this world had the strength to challenge them.

' _Until now_.' Halmat thought as they made their way past the security patrols. Entry into the facility proper was a bit trickier. All the main doors had security holograms that required a high-ranking soldier's omni-tool in order to access.

They could've just killed one of the guards and taken their omni-tool, but Halmat didn't know if they could do so without getting caught. Fortunately, opportunity was found when they located the maintenance tunnels, which had much lighter security details.

After following a maintenance worker into the tunnels, the Banished troops killed him and made their way up to the control room, occasionally planting explosives on critical parts along the way. When they arrived, they found one operator sitting at the controls. He didn't even turn around when the door opened.

"Oh good, you're here." The man's tone was bored. "I was wondering when the shift change was going to-HURK!"

Halmat's energy sword went through the chair and his flesh, causing the operator to choke to death in his own blood. Throwing the salarian corpse aside, the Spec Ops Sangheili looked at the controls, before quietly shutting down the long range comms and other important systems.

"Team two, report." Halmat called over the battlenet. "Have you completed your objective?"

"The charges have been planted." The Elite answered. "We await your command."

"Do it."

There was a brief moment before a low rumble and columns of smoke erupted from the spaceport, causing alarms to start blaring throughout the city. Wasting no time, Halmat drove his energy sword through the controls before ordering his team to detonate the charges planted throughout the comms relay.

While maintenance workers and accompanying soldiers were reeling from the sudden sabotage, the Banished strike team made their way out of the facility, pausing only to kill the soldiers guarding the gate. Once they were outside, Halmat sent the signal to start the attack.

Seconds later, the _Intention's Eye_ appeared in the sky, emerging from its slipspace rupture. From its belly shot hundreds of Banished Banshees and dozens of Spirits and Phantoms, all of which made their way to critical targets through the city.

Makeshift AA guns were activated, launching mass accelerator rounds into the sky, managing to down multiple Banshees in the process. But their victory was short lived, as other air units or ground forces responded, marking the anti-air for destruction.

The battle was fierce, but very brief. The city contained only half a million people, many of whom were poorly armed and barely trained, facing off against an army of ruthless Banished raiders.

Wraiths, Marauders, Reavers, Ghosts and Choppers tore many buildings apart, with a number of them being torn to shreds or flat out vaporized by plasma. Sangheili and Jiralhanae warriors overpowered the majority of the inhabitants, with only some krogan being able to put up a fight, while Unggoy and Kig-Yar picked through the rubble.

By the time what remained of the city's leadership called for surrender, much of the location had been completely wrecked, with dozens of craters littering the urban area. The _Eye_ hovered ominously overhead as a single Lich made its way down.

Once it landed, a line of Brute Warlords stepped out, before standing at attention as Atriox stepped out, followed two steps behind by Laccabeus. The massive aliens towered over the leadership, who were all but whimpering in fear at the sight.

"We have much to discuss." Atriox's mace activated ominously.

* * *

Snoke stood over the holotable, listening to the reports as they came in. Things had been going fairly well for the First Order in the past month. With Daala giving her support, the PMC had suddenly gained a more political nature, as Daala's speeches trickled throughout the multiverse.

While she was busy doing that, Snoke was in constant communication with the Illusive Man, discussing strategy and tactics for winning support. Unsurprisingly, the Cerberus leader wasn't a lot of help with that, considering his own goals and 'history will vindicate us' mindset, but there were still ideas coming in.

One opportunity knocked when a planet on the border of the Terminus Systems and Attican Traverse was heard to have fallen under the sway of the Shadow Collective, becoming a staging area for the criminal pirate raids.

With a new wave of piracy coming from the Shadow Collective, colonies within the Attican Traverse were left poorly defended. Military forces were still spread thin, IDA fleets focusing on the larger concentrations of Shadow Collective forces.

This was something the First Order was quick to take advantage of, deploying their forces to help the colonies in the most peril. They were met with distrust at first, especially from the Imperial looking armor, but gradually they began accepting help.

This helped increase recruitment somewhat, but it wasn't enough. The First Order still had barely more than three legions, not counting what divisions Cerberus could offer them. Fortunately, thanks to intel from Daala, the Illusive Man, and Snoke's own knowledge, the latter had an idea of how to fix that.

Long forgotten star charts revealed a facility hidden on a barren planet in the Deep Core of their galaxy, one installed by Emperor Palpatine during the height of the Empire. It was funny just how many forgotten facilities like that seemed to exist in the multiverse, but nevertheless, Snoke ordered an expedition to the location.

He eagerly awaited their findings, but now it was time to put his focus elsewhere: specifically on recruiting Ilsa Zane. The Illusive Man's intel had finally revealed her location, which apparently, ONI hadn't known about.

He dispatched Phasma and Vestara alongside a contingent of Shadow and Terror troopers to recruit her. Though if the newly named Supreme Leader of the First Order was honest with himself, he wasn't looking forward to meeting her.

Still, he anxiously awaited their return. And hopefully, they would actually come back from this.

...

An Imperial escort carrier emerged from hyperspace, and was immediately followed and escorted by a pair of VT-49 Decimators. They had arrived in the middle of a massive debris field, all that remained of the former colony and Insurrectionist planet Venezia.

For many years, the planet had been a breeding ground and staging area for anti-UNSC factions and all sorts of black market deals. That all changed during the Great Flood War, when the Parasite targeted the colony.

Officially, the planet had been totally lost to the Flood by the time relief forces arrived, but according to rumors, at least half the planet was uninfected and still fighting against the Flood when a small UNSC detachment arrived.

Instead of aiding an evacuation, the battle group deployed a NOVA bomb, utterly annihilating the planet and everything on it. Conspiracy theorists and Insurrectionist supporters had claimed that the UNSC had always intended to destroy the world and that the Flood just gave them an excuse to do so.

But few paid attention to the conspiracy nuts and the Insurrectionists quickly lost much support during the Great Flood War as they fell to the Parasite. Now, only a few salvage stations existed in Venezia's remains.

"I can't believe she would be here." Phasma muttered, looking at the shattered world. "And ONI didn't think to check here?"

"Maybe they couldn't believe she'd come here?" Vestara shrugged. "Or maybe they did and she left, or was captured, or any number of things could've happened."

"Perhaps." The captain sighed. "Regardless, we have our orders." She turned to the sensor operator. "How close are we?"

"We're coming up on the station now." The officer replied. "Life support and artificial gravity are the only systems still running."

It looked like the salvage station hadn't been used in years: it was dark, only noticeable in the sun's light, as pieces of debris was floating all around it. Some sections had completely broken off, spinning off by either impact from the planet's debris or the facility's own disuse. All in all, it was definitely a place someone could hide in.

"Dock us alongside." Phasma ordered as she and Vestara walked away. "And tell the division to get ready."

...

The airlock opened into a pitch black hallway, as Phasma's Shadow troopers stepped out. Activating the night vision in their helmets, four soldiers cautiously stepped out first, securing the entryway so that everyone else could enter, and keeping an eye on the only two hallways that led to this room.

"Everyone switch to Night vision." Phasma said as she stepped into the room. "And check your fire. We don't need this place becoming any more unstable."

"Keep your eyes out for traps." Vestara continued. "Our target isn't exactly the most stable but we want her alive. Set your blaster stun to maximum."

Once the soldiers gave their confirmation, the groups split off into the two passageways. Vestara took the squad of Terror troopers and made their way through the left passageway while Phasma took her Shadow troopers to the right.

As the two groups split up, one of the security cameras came back online behind them, focusing on the soldiers. The woman watching the feed gave a sadistic smirk as she saw them leaving.

"It's been so long." She giggled. "So long since I've had guests." She hit several buttons on the makeshift control console. "I hope they enjoy my hospitality."

...

Phasma led her troops down the hallway, all of them keeping an eye out for any signs of a trap or an ambush. So, when the station's intercom crackled, a dozen blasters instinctively aimed in the direction of the nearest speaker before realizing their mistake.

"Well, well, well." A voice came over the intercom; female, human and more than a little unhinged, it was undoubtedly who the First Order wanted to find. "This is the attack force ONI sends for me? I'm insulted."

"We're not here with ONI." Phasma said, finding an active camera on the ceiling. "We just want to talk to you." Unsurprisingly, there was no response. Either Zane couldn't hear what she said, or didn't believe it.

"Though I must thank you for bringing me a ship." The voice continued. "I've been here for so long... ah but where are my manners? Please enjoy my humble abode. I know it's not much, but I've prepared for any guests that may show up."

A distinct beeping could suddenly be heard near one of the Shadow Troopers, who turned to see an explosive charge activate on the wall. The man barely had enough time to curse before the device exploded, perforating him with shrapnel and forcing everyone else to take cover.

When Phasma recovered, she saw that there was little left of the man. Fortunately, the explosive appeared to have been in improvised mining charge rather than a military one, otherwise casualties, would've been more severe. Locking away her grief and vengeance, she rallied her squad, who were now setting a much more cautious pace.

"Commander Neeman, this is Captain Phasma; be advised, Ilsa Zane is present and may attempt to hijack the ship." She reported. "Post security at the main airlock and secure the rest on the ship. I don't want her leaving with our ship." Once she had the commander's acknowledgement of her order, she switched frequencies.

"Vestara, do you copy?"

...

"We're a little busy at the moment!"

Vestara's red saber illuminated the dark, weaving through the air as the Sith intercepted as many bullets as she could from the automated turrets. They definitely weren't top of the line, and missed more often than not, but it was still an irritating distraction.

Her Terror trooper escorts used the distraction to target the turrets, turning several of them into scrap metal with blasterfire or just closing the distance and tearing them apart with their blades.

After a couple minutes, Vestara shut down her lightsaber and reactivated her comlink, only to find the frequency jammed. Cursing in Keshiri, the Sith turned to her troops but paused when her danger senses spiked.

She leapt for a handhold in the wall, just before the opposite wall near the Terror troopers exploded and they were pulled into the vacuum of space. Air rushed past her as alarms blared, her arms struggling to keep her grip.

Her fingers slipped from the bar.

...

With Vestara not answering her comlink and that wailing alarm elsewhere on the station, Phasma immediately ordered her Shadow troopers to withdraw and regroup back where they came from, to keep their target from stealing the ship.

With Zane's intent clear, Phasma and her squad quickly made their way back to the airlock, joining up with the guards she had posted there. If the deranged Spartan wanted to escape, she would have to go through all of them.

Though deep down, Phasma knew that Zane was more than capable of doing so. Shaking out of her thoughts, she returned her attention to the present. In a few minutes they had reached the airlock foyer where the guards were waiting.

"Your orders, Captain?" One sergeant asked as they approached.

"Fortify this position." Phasma said. "I don't want Zane to approach this ship alone."

A cracking sound caused the squad to turn around, just in time to see a large figure breaking the neck of the rearmost solider, before pulling the blaster from his lifeless fingers.

In that moment, the First Order soldiers got a clear look at her while they raised their weapons. The woman was tall and muscular, clad in torn civilian mining clothing that seemed to barely fit.

She wore pair of Sangheili gauntlets on her wrists and had a look of bloodlust in her eyes. It was definitely the woman they had been sent here to find, and as the First Order took aim, it was clear she wouldn't come quietly.

Far faster than the eye could follow, Zane shot each Shadow trooper with the stolen blaster, as precise and lethal bolts drilled into every soldier's helmet. Phasma quickly fell as well, but the only reason she survived was because of the stronger armor she was wearing.

Still, the captain was powerless to stop the Spartan as she approached the airlock, as her head was swimming from the impact. Phasma attempted to rise, causing the Spartan to turn and take aim at her again.

Suddenly, Zane was blasted across the room by an invisible force. The impact actually dented the wall and shattered Zane's stolen carbine. A blood-red blade illuminated the room with a snap-hiss, bathing Vestara in its glow. Far from being frightened, Zane's smirk actually became more unhinged.

"Interesting." Zane eyed Vestara. "I didn't think ONI was recruiting Jedi now."

"I'm no Jedi, and we're not with ONI." The Sith growled.

"I'm sure." Zane's sarcasm was palpable. "But... well, let's make this a little fun shall we?"

An energy dagger emerged from each of her gauntlets, and she held them in a crossed position, imitating a dueling pose. Then she lunged abruptly, bringing the blades toward Vestara in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Phasma managed to rise to her feet and took aim with her blaster, only to curse at the duel that was happening. Holstering her weapon, the First Order captain instead pulled a metal cylinder from her belt, which extended into a shock baton.

With the setting high enough to knock out a bantha, Phasma approached the two combatants, and when she found an opening, she took it, striking the Spartan in the back. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, and Phasma narrowly avoided Zane's retaliatory backhand.

Vestara pressed the advantage then, keeping Zane from killing the captain and forcing her on the defense. The Spartan-IV prototype knew she needed to end Phasma's involvement quickly, and did so the moment she had an opening.

Ducking under a swing from Phasma's shock baton, Ilsa kicked her in the stomach, sending the captain flying into the wall. She saw stars upon impact but was fortunately still alive, her stronger armor saving the Shadow trooper from having her chest caved in.

Groaning, she rose to her feet but the pain made sure she was only capable of watching at the moment, which was probably a good thing considering how much destruction the blue and red blades were creating.

The speed of the two combatants was difficult to keep track of, but from what Phasma could tell, Vestara was slowly, but surely, gaining the edge. It wasn't clear how long Ilsa Zane had been on this station, but what was clear was that Zane was malnourished and out of practice.

Vestara could see that too: the Spartan's swings were clumsy and her footwork all wrong. It was only her enhanced speed and reflexes that kept Zane in the fight, and even then, Vestara still managed to inflict shallow wounds on her.

Zane's skin was tough enough that the cuts weren't really effective, but it was clear that she was being worn down. Vestara managed to capitalize on that by hitting her with a Force push, sending her flying again.

The Spartan rose to her feet, but was noticeably panting as she did. The Sith wasted no time and lunged forward, capitalizing on her enemy's weakness. Only to find her blade caught between the two energy daggers, leaving her lightsaber trapped.

"My turn." The Spartan whispered.

In a bladelock, the Spartan's strength immediately turned the bout to her favor. Vestara was forced back lest she be cut in half by her own blade, and soon she was against the wall, watching the red energy inch closer.

A high pitched whine and flash of red appeared as the pressure lessened and Zane groaned in pain. Phasma didn't let up, firing more blaster bolts at the Spartan prototype. But even with all that, Zane endured and spun around, lunging at the captain.

She didn't get to lay a finger on the Shadow Trooper before Vestara grabbed her with the Force and hurled her into the wall. The dark room lit up again as forks of lightning lashed out from the Sith's fingertips, and soon Zane was screaming in agony.

After 30 seconds of this, Vestara cut the lightning but left her hands up, ready to start again if necessary. Fortunately, it seemed that it worked; Ilsa Zane was out cold. Phasma walked up next to Vestara as a half-dozen Storm Commandos made their way through the hall and into the room.

"Contact Supreme Leader Snoke." Phasma said. "Tell him we have her."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. I'm honestly not sure when the next chapter will be out, but hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later. Either way, this is a story I intend to finish, though that might actually take a bit.**

 **Still, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	5. Ground Rules

**Alright and now we begin the next chapter. This is where things should really start picking up. So to recap, Phasma and Vestara have captured Ilsa Zane while a First Order scouting party headed to the Deep Core to find any facilities left behind that they could use.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Snoke walked through the brig of the _Finalizer_ , escorted by two Phase I Dark troopers. Two Phase Zero Dark Troopers were standing outside the cell door, alongside Vestara and Phasma, who were waiting for him to arrive, the latter absentmindedly rubbing her dented chestplate.

"Sir, I must advise against releasing her." Phasma said as he approached. "She is clearly not in her right mind."

"She doesn't need to be." Snoke replied. "Vestara can calm her down."

"I actually agree with Captain Phasma." The Sith interjected. "She's been isolated for Force knows how long, and she wasn't exactly the most stable individual before that."

"Well then, I suggest we give her something to focus on." The Supreme Leader said. "A target for her to channel her rage and aggression."

Before they could interject further, Snoke gestured to the guards and they opened the door. His eyes took in the barren cell, along with the table that their guest was chained to.

The heavy metal and force fields kept the Spartan under control, but even then, her thrashing had strained them, forcing the doctors to use sedatives in an effort to calm her. However, Snoke had ordered that the sedatives be cut off so he could speak to her while she was lucid, and as he entered the room, he found that contrary to expectations, she was lying still, with a cold and calculating glare sent her way.

"I'm assuming you want to know who I am." Snoke said, refusing to be unnerved.

"You're one of ONI's little interrogators." The prototype Spartan said simply. "Piece of advice: you're going to need a lot if you want me to talk."

"I believe my soldiers already told you, we're not with ONI." The former assassin rolled his eyes. "We want your help to strike against them."

"Ok, let me pretend for a minute that you're telling the truth." Zane rolled her eyes. "What exactly could you offer me? You have no idea what I desire."

"On the contrary." Snoke rolled his eyes. "I know exactly what you want."

"And what's that?"

"Revenge on the UNSC, on ONI." Snoke replied. "For taking your cause away and leaving you to die." Zane laughed.

"And how do you intend to do that?"

"I have my methods."

"Well, if you want my help, I need to hear them."

"Didn't you think we were ONI a minute ago?" Vestara interjected.

"I dunno, maybe it's the lack of constant torture, but I'm starting to believe you." Zane shrugged. "Besides, I could use a good laugh."

...

"Well... that's certainly an interesting strategy." Zane said after a moment. "Not sure how effective it'll be, but it could work."

"So, does this mean you're willing to work with us?"

"If it gets me out of this cage." Zane sighed. "I'll join you."

"I'm glad you saw reason." Snoke nodded to the technician. But the field didn't deactivate: instead gas began filling the interior.

"What-" The Spartan prototype descended into a coughing fit. "what are you doing?!"

"Call this a necessary precaution." Snoke watched as Zane slumped in her position, then turned to the technician. "Keep the gas in for another ten minutes. Then you know what to do."

The human nodded then did as he was told. Readying the collar, he checked to make sure the explosive charge and shock generator wouldn't interfere with each other, then clasped the device over Zane's neck.

"Keep her under armed guard at all times." Snoke ordered, turning to Phasma. "I don't expect her to be so easily swayed."

"Well, the fact that you put an explosive leash around her neck might sour her mood." Vestara snarked. "Here's hoping this doesn't blow up in our faces."

"It won't." Snoke said confidently.

"I'll leave that to your discretion sir." Phasma said, allowing the Supreme Leader and Sith to leave the cell. Snoke in particular was feeling quite pleased.

With the rogue and psychotic Spartan on their side, the First Order leaders could turn their attention to the facility in the Deep Core, hidden on a world of ice, snow and dead forests. It had payed off: the Emperor's hidden vault had a full suite of Spaarti cloning cylinders, just like the storehouse hidden on Wayland, only far larger in scale and with the factories to build military equipment as well.

It was time to get started.

...

General Hux looked over the data from the facility, feeling a mix of confusion, apprehension and just a touch of suspicion. This abandoned Imperial base was the goldmine that the First Order had been hoping to find, but even still, it felt a little too easy.

The base had to have been lying dormant for nearly a century, and yet they needed very little work to actually get up and running again. Even the sensitive cloning equipment had barely broken down from disuse, almost as if someone had been here recently.

He needed to talk to the agent who had uncovered the intel about this place, and find out where he got it. And it would be best to inform the Supreme Leader about his suspicions as well. His musings were interrupted by the door chime to his office.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir." One senior officer walked in once Hux let him in. "I thought you'd like to know that recovery operations are nearing completion. We're ready to restart the cloning operation."

"Thank you, Colonel." Hux took the datapad he offered. "Is this accurate? The cloning cylinders can create a new soldier in 21 days?"

"Yes sir. The facility also includes a factory for armor and weapons." The colonel nodded. Unnoticed to Hux, his hand twitched upward for a second. "It shouldn't take long to arm all our new troops."

"This is excellent news. I must inform Supreme Leader Snoke immediately." Hux set the datapad down. "I'll be sure to inform him of your efforts."

"Thank you, sir." The Colonel saluted and spun on his heel, walking out of the room.

As the man left, Hux felt himself calming, with his apprehensions and suspicions fading away. He realized that he was being overly paranoid about this, and resolved to do all he could to ensure the First Order would reign supreme throughout the stars.

He never noticed the tiny half-spherical device that had been planted on the office ceiling.

...

Supreme Leader Snoke was already impressed by this world, which had tentatively been codenamed Starkiller Base by the previous Imperial forces. There had been initial plans to build a massive superweapon into the planet, but that was scrapped in favor of the Galaxy Gun. Still, Starkiller Base had its uses.

Production facilities had been activated and retooled, stamping out a brand new design of Stormtrooper armor, exclusive to the forces of the First Order. Weapons to arm their new clone army were also prepared and readied.

The improved Spaarti cloning cylinders had allowed the First Order alliance to grow soldiers in a matter of weeks. Of course normally, flash training them to such a degree would be difficult, especially due to the outlawed practice of creating clone armies, but the techniques Cerberus had learned in order to create their own soldiers helped in that regard.

Even still, the process of creating clone armies was time consuming, but it at least solved their manpower shortages in this regard. Now the only problem was getting the ships to actually transport these soldiers.

Cerberus came to aid in that regard as well, but it wasn't enough. It was only through more exploration through the Deep Core that the First Order found a hidden shipyard orbiting a nameless moon. It seemed Palpatine had had a lot of hidden back up plans and military installations.

This included a factory for creating more Imperial Military ground vehicles as well, including walkers, hovertanks and airspeeders, much of which was hidden on the frozen planet that held the cloning suite.

It became quite clear that Palpatine had intended for his Empire to have all the military forces it would need to conquer the galaxy, though the destruction of Byss and the death of the Emperor had put an end to those plans.

Still, this served the First Order's purposes, especially so they wouldn't have to rely solely on the technology and weapons of their allies. Though Cerberus itself still had its own impressive, if somewhat outdated military forces.

Atlas mechs were rather ungainly, even by the Mass Effect Milky Way's own standards. The last forty years had seen improvements in military technology, and the Atlas was considered outdated compared to some of the newer armor available. Yet they were still more than capable of holding their own against new mechs.

With their combined forces, Snoke's army would be a force to reckon with. With all that said, it still wasn't enough to really challenge the current militaries of the IDA. There was still much work that needed to be done.

* * *

Darth Maul stood on the steps of the building, with Savage and a pair of Death Watch troopers at his side. Below was a large gathering of people, held back by more Shadow Collective forces.

Not that they would actually try anything: they were too terrified by the sight of their leader hovering in mid-air while choking to death. A mere demonstration to terrify the people of this colony into submitting to the Shadow Collective.

With a quick clench of his fist, the man's neck was crushed and he fell to the ground, to the shock and horror of the crowd. Maul just stood there for a minute, letting the terror sink in.

"These are the consequences for defying me." He said to the crowd, before turning to the woman who would succeed the former leader. "I trust you will be more cooperative?"

"O-of course, Lord Maul." The asari shakily bowed her head. "We will serve you willingly."

"That's what I like to hear."

The Sith turned and walked away, leaving the details to his subordinates about what would happen now. Initially, this colony had agreed to serve the Shadow Collective, who would take fifty percent of the mineral resources mined from this world.

But the now former leader of the colony had started skimming some of the profits for himself. So Maul decided to come to the colony personally to demonstrate that behavior like that would not be tolerated.

And judging by the fear from the populace, they got the message. His thoughts were interrupted as he approached his Kom'rk-class transport, where a pair of Mandalorians quickly ran up to him.

"Sir." One of the Mandalorians interjected. "A Council fleet just appeared in orbit and are requesting our surrender."

"How did they find us?" Savage demanded, his robotic fist clenching.

"We're... not sure." The other Mandalorian replied.

"We will deal with that later." Maul replied as he and his entourage got into the fighter. "Get us into orbit and signal Omega."

"Right away, sir."

The pilot quickly gunned the engines and sent the vessel into orbit, while a pair of StarViper fighters moved to escort the ship. From this location, the Sith could get a good view of the situation. It wasn't good.

The Shadow Collective ships found themselves to be heavily outgunned by the arrival of the collective asari, turian and Alliance vessels, which immediately returned fire as soon as the criminals responded to their requests to surrender.

Mass Accelerators, Thanix beams, disrupter torpedos, ion and plasma bolts, and lots of turbolaser fire streaked through the void. Dreadnoughts and cruisers kept up the pressure against the criminal fleet, while frigate wolf-packs closed the gap, most of them equipped with Thanix cannons.

Several corvettes and frigates fell to the onslaught, while the larger destroyers and Keldalbe-class battleship remained intact, albeit heavily damaged. It was clear the Citadel Council forces had been prepared for the Shadow Collective forces that were present here.

Then Omega emerged from hyperspace. The thousands of weapons that had been mounted on the station immediately turned and fired on the Council fleet, filling the void with turbolaser bolts.

Maul watched with a smirk from the cockpit of his Kom'rk fighter as a Turian dreadnought fell from the barrage of turbolaser fire. Then the battle could no longer be seen as the ship approached the far side of Omega, docking with the mobile space station almost immediately.

By the time the two Zabraks got to the bridge, the battle was all but over, and the surviving Zann Consortium ships were left to simply mop off the survivors. In spite of this victory though, Maul knew it would only be a matter of time before reinforcements arrive.

"Recall any of our forces that still live and order them to retreat." The Sith Lord ordered. "We're leaving this system."

"My Lord." Commander Saxon approached and saluted. "We may have located the leak; one of the officials on Lorek seemed to have leaked your location to the Council."

"Curious." Savage muttered. "No one there was supposed to know that information."

"Contact Locus and Felix." The Sith ordered. "They are to depart for Lorek immediately."

...

In another part of the station, Felix was lying on a couch, searching through the channels to see if there was anything good on. Unfortunately, it was just the same boring crap like every other day.

"Damn, still nothing." Felix muttered, flicking through the channels.

"Reports of increased spice smuggling-"

"A dash of mynock-"

"It's the Stig's Spartan cousin."

"A generator that literally runs on spirits-"

The door to his apartment opened with a swish, and Felix instinctively grabbed a knife and was primed to throw it before seeing who it was. With a sigh, he groaned and carelessly tossed the knife aside.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Locus stood there in full armor, clearly not amused.

"Get your gear." The green and grey armored merc said. "We have a mission."

"About goddamn time."

* * *

Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo sat in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_ , listening to the reports on the HoloNet on their journey to Vekta. The most noticeable news story they were watching was the information about this First Order PMC and their efforts to protect colonies in the Attican Traverse from the Shadow Collective.

A lot of people were impressed with that, especially considering that the IDA itself was too busy hunting Maul's core forces down to be able to protect those colonies properly. And this was one of many issues plaguing the IDA at the moment.

Another issue, which had currently brought Leia where she was with a grumbling Han, was the fact that the smaller governments of the IDA were beginning to feel like their voices didn't have a say in the grand scheme of things.

The UCN and their ISA subordinates were the largest faction feeling like that, so much so that they were even hinting at seceding from the IDA. Of course, it seemed that there was more going on under the surface.

Protests and rallies for independence had been happening on several UCN colonies. They were small initially, but as time passed, they began growing, to the detriment of the ISA forces.

Han and Leia had been selected to travel to Vekta, one of the most important UCN planets outside of their Earth, to discuss how the IDA could provide aid and strengthen their ties, but it was clear the Vektan government was skeptical, considering the current state of things in the InterDimensional Alliance.

Then there was this increased resurgence of Unitologist worship that had sprung up across the IDA. The Republic and Separatists warned them to be wary, but it was difficult to actually tell if people were willing to serve the Flood or were just getting caught up in religious fervor.

And there certainly a number of people doing just that, and not out of any actively malicious intent. Still, the fact that so many people were worshiping the Flood was a major cause for concern, so much so that the Senate even voted to ban any teachings of the religion and arrest any practitioners. The motion was denied, but only by the narrowest of margins.

Turning her mind from those thoughts as they came out of hyperspace, Leia gazed out the window and took a long look at the beautiful planet that could be seen out the window.

"Unidentified ship, you have entered restricted VSA airspace, identify yourself and your purpose here."

"Vekta control, this is Han Solo of the _Millennium Falcon._ " Han replied, transmitting the clearance codes. "We're carrying the IDA delegation on board, requesting permission to land." There was a brief pause before the answer came by.

"Copy that _Millennium Falcon_ , you are clear to proceed. Transmitting flight plan now."

"Acknowledged." Han input the route into the navicomputer and followed the path, which took them the long way around the planet, allowing the two of them to get a good look at the garden world.

It had been over a hundred years since the Vekta-Helghast war, and the planet had rebuilt and recovered to its natural state. Of course, the idyllic planet hadn't exactly escaped unscathed.

At the end of the Second Extrasolar war, ISA survivors had caused the Helghan Terracide, horrifically irradiating Helghan and killing a billion of the native Helghast. In an act of reconciliation, the people of Vekta had offered to settle the surviving Helghast on their world, giving them nearly half the planet.

This goodwill hadn't done them any favors; when the Helghast were recruited into the Separatists, they abandoned their territory on Vekta. But in an act of pure spite, they bombarded or poisoned the landscape they had controlled.

Since then, Vekta had recovered from the ecological damage, but economically the planet was struggling, especially after Helghan was transported into Separatist territory. No doubt, they needed some material aid, which Leia was sure the IDA could provide.

After a brief flight around the planet, the _Falcon_ touched down at the government building in the planet's capital city, which was a marvel of beautiful architecture and nature. As Leia stepped out to meet the Vekta Council (leaving Han to do checks on the _Falcon_ ), she idly noted the contrast between the rest of the clean city and the old freighter.

"Leia Organa Solo." Her attention was drawn the sharply dressed man standing outside the ramp. "Welcome to Vekta."

"I'm honored to be here." She said diplomatically. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

 **And that's the end of the chapter. I know, still not a whole lot of action right now. Now, you've probably noticed how the bulk of these last couple of chapters have been focused on Star Wars stuff, specifically the First Order.**

 **It can't be helped unfortunately, as there's still quite a few things I need to cover for them. Trust me though, I promise that the story will pick up in the later chapters.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**

 **Also, I have an announcement: I now have an account on Patr[e]on (it won't let me spell the name properly here) under hunter 139.**


	6. Growing Pains

**Alright, and we're once again onto the next chapter. As I said earlier, I know I've been focusing quite a bit on the First Order, which will still be continuing for the time being.**

 **Fortunately, this will be the last chapter with that much focus for right now, and the Banished will get some well deserved spotlight. But you've waited long enough, so without further ado, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, Star Wars, Mass Effect or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Snoke stood on the bridge of the _Finalizer_ , overlooking the fleet that was currently under construction, and felt his chest swell at the sight. They still had a long way to go, but soon the First Order would take its rightful place in the multiverse.

He knew it, and in a minute, so would the rest of his forces once he sent the speech he had prepared to all of them. General Hux and Captain Phasma stood off to the side, letting him take the spotlight, while the camera crew counted down to the start of recording.

"My warriors." His hands were clasped behind his back. "Sons and daughters of the Empire, we stand on the brink of a new age. The bureaucrats and politicians of the InterDimensional Alliance squabble and bicker pointlessly while their territories fall into disorder. This ends now!"

"It's time for the First Order to rise." Snoke stood in front of the bridge. "The IDA has proven just how weak it truly is. A new form of government is needed in the multiverse, and we will be that leadership." The Supreme Leader paused to let the cheering die down before starting again.

"The IDA is weak." He continued. "They have allowed themselves to be bogged down by each others politics and even let a known criminal and famous Sith Lord escape due to their bickering. They failed to create an even adequate solution to stop the Flood. This inaction ends now!"

"Soon the First Order will take our rightful place among the multiverse! The glory of the Galactic Empire will be felt through cosmos once more!" Thunderous applause erupted at this proclamation, so much so that some could swear they heard it through the vacuum of space.

Once the applause died down, Hux directed the bridge crew to get back to work, while Snoke walked over to Daala, who had been standing on the opposite side of the recording equipment.

"Nice speech." She drawled. "But you and I both know that speeches don't win wars."

"We're not at war yet." Snoke countered. "This was to motivate the troops, yes, but we still need allies if we are to truly wrest control from the IDA."

"I know many of the Moffs will join us once they know our strength." Daala replied. "And I'm guessing you have some ideas for allies as well. But we still need warriors, not cannon fodder if your desire is to become reality."

"And you have an idea, do you not?"

"I know someone who can help us." Daala explained. "A few people actually. Old friends who I've kept in contact with through the years."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Snoke asked. "Get into contact with them."

Daala nodded and left the bridge, heading for the ready room above and its private comms array. She knew that the relay was being monitored by the First Order, so she couldn't try to double cross them. Still, it was nice to have some level of power again.

...

While Daala went to contact her allies, Snoke went back to his office to check on the latest intelligence that had been sent their way. The news was... interesting to say the least. A single message with attached coordinates had been sent directly to his desk, bypassing the screening process entirely.

While this was cause for alarm (and internal security were heavily looking into it), what interested the Supreme Leader was what the message contained. The coordinates just directed them to a star with no planets orbiting it, but the text itself was the most interesting.

" _You want the Illusive Man. Here he is._ "

* * *

Days earlier.

Hidden on the outskirts of this Terminus colony, a large Cerberus base had been constructed, hidden mostly underground with only a few small bunkers visible on the surface, with the occasional foot or light vehicle patrol.

The Shadow Collective had already been present on the planet, coercing the inhabitants to aid them with some orbital intimidation and a small amount of bribery. The city even had a recruiting center for new mercs established, feeding the criminal empire even more.

Fortunately, the human-supremacist organization's own base had been undetected, allowing them to complete their own military build up in secret. The intention was for a hit and run strike to cripple Shadow Collective forces before they retreated.

But unbeknownst to the Cerberus personnel at this facility, their leader's benefactor was well aware of this location and its purpose, alongside the data contained within. And she had decided to 'repossess' the facility, a task which would be carried out by the four figures that were being airdropped by a stealth Pelican.

The Cerberus base was heavily defended, prepared for any full-scale assault that could come their way. They were not prepared for the Spartans of Fireteam Osiris, who touched down quietly on the roof of the main building.

An assault trooper making his rounds on the rooftop fell to the floor as a whispered cough emerged from behind him. Vale moved forward, taking down a couple more guards before reporting the all clear. Osiris gathered outside the main hatch that led to the interior.

"Tanaka, get the hatch open." Spartan Jameson Locke ordered.

"On it."

The Spartan in question moved to break the locking mechanism, while the rest took up defensive positions in case anyone spotted them. Fortunately, their landing had gone undetected and moments later, the hatch opened.

"We're in."

"Engage active camo." Seconds later, all four Spartans disappeared from sight before entering the building, sealing the hatch behind them. "You all know your objectives. Move fast and quiet."

"It won't take them long to find the bodies on the roof." Buck pointed out.

"Then let's not waste any more time."

The four person team split up, with Locke and Tanaka heading towards the control room and data hub, while Buck and Vale headed for the hanger and motor pool, laden with explosive charges.

The former pair would download any information they could about Cerberus' plans and base locations while the latter two would cripple their ships and vehicles, significantly aiding in their exfiltration.

Locke and Tanaka made their way through the base's stark white halls, evading patrols until they were in the hallway right outside the control room doors, which was being guarded by a pair of Cerberus Centurions.

"They've got strong kinetic barriers." Tanaka reported. "They could get the alarm off before we can break them."

"Hit them with a shield disrupter on my mark." Tanaka pulled out the small device in response, quickly setting the timer. "Mark." She tossed the device down the hall, which emitted a small pulse that disabled their shields. They didn't even have time to cry out.

With speed and precision, Locke's suppressed battle rifle coughed and the Centurion's head snapped back in a spray of blood. His buddy didn't get a chance to sound the alarm as Tanaka's own DMR cut him down a nanosecond later.

The Spartans rushed to the door, gingerly avoiding stepping in the pooling blood to avoid compromising their positions even further. Tanaka quickly ran a bypass, and the door slid open at their touch.

Another pair of Centurions were guarding the interior, but the two Spartans moved in sync, unsheathing their knives and cutting their throats before the Cerberus soldiers could even turn around.

This got the attention of the unarmored officers at the desks, but Tanaka and Locke quickly gunned them all down, leaving the base commander alive for the moment as they approached.

"Hands where I can see them." Locke ordered as he faded into view. "Now."

The un-augmented man slowly raised his hands from his desk (brushing against a button on the console as he did) before putting them behind the back of his head. Tanaka appeared behind him and slammed his head into the desk.

"Unlock the central servers." Her tone made it clear that it wasn't a request.

The commander hesitantly did so, hitting a few key codes that allowed the Spartans to download the data they needed. With that done, Tanaka knocked the man out before connecting to the computers and disabling the outer perimeter defenses. That was when she noticed something.

"Shit, it looks like he hit the silent alarm." The Engineer cursed. "We've got troops stacking up outside."

"Buck, Vale, our presence has been discovered." Locke reported over the comms. "Have you finished planting the charges?"

"Just got the last one now."

"Be ready. Our exfil's going to be loud." Locke turned back to the Spartan with him. "Do you have it?"

"We've got the data." Tanaka reported. "It's encrypted, but we can worry about that later."

"On me." The two Spartans took cover, waiting for the Cerberus team to enter.

The breaching charge blasted the door opened, and a pair of flashbangs were rolled into the room. Their helmets and visors polarized and cut audio off before the grenades went off, leaving the two Spartans free to take down the Cerberus soldiers as they entered.

A pair of Guardians were the first, hoping to provide some cover for the rest, but the Spartans easily shot through the slits in their shields, leaving the next assault troopers vulnerable. It took less than a minute to clear them out, leaving Locke and Tanaka free to find the others.

...

"Alert: Intruders have been detected in the control room. All available units converge on the control room."

"So much for stealth." Buck sighed.

"We knew that wouldn't last anyway." Vale replied. "Still, we've done what was needed. Let's get to the rendezvous."

The two Spartans made their way out of the hanger, keeping their cloaks on as they moved through the corridors. Fortunately, their resistance was minimal, as only scattered assault troopers and Centurions remained at their posts, with Locke and Tanaka no doubt drawing their attention.

Still, Buck felt off, like someone was watching them. Having learned to trust that instinct over the years, the former ODST kept a close eye on his surroundings, looking for any signs that they had been noticed.

Then he noticed a brief blip of red on his motion tracker. It was present for less than a second, but it had been there, and the yellow acknowledgement light he got from Vale indicated that she noticed as well.

The two Spartans rolled to the side, spinning around and immediately firing on the shimmering silhouettes that had been moving behind them. The Cerberus Phantoms were forced to break their cloaks and put up their biotic barriers to absorb the attack.

There were four of the ninjas in all, with two moving forward to engage the Spartans at close range while the other two hung back and hit the supersoldiers at range. It was a decent tactic, but Spartans had dealt with that time and time again, and knew how to counter them.

Rolling to avoid another slash of the dark energy-infused blade, Buck came up to a crouching position with a shotgun already in hand, specifically the Blaze of Glory model loaded with kinetic bolts.

One shell punched through the Phantom's biotic barrier, disintegrating her body into glowing particles. Meanwhile, Vale pulled out her plasma pistol and unleashed an overcharged shot, draining her barrier and allowing the Spartan to snap her neck.

With those two dead, Buck pulled out his assault rifle to suppress the other two while Vale repeated her use of an overcharge on the first one. It took seconds for the Phantoms to fall, allowing the two Spartans to escape.

Eventually, the four Spartans of Fireteam Osiris met up and broke through the bunker doors, where a large group of soldiers had already gathered and set up fortifications. Unfortunately for them, the UNSC supersoldiers had years of experience breaking such formations, and were through within minutes.

As they ran towards the main gate, another squad of soldiers moved to engage them while a pair of Nemesis snipers attempted to suppress them. But Locke and Tanaka quickly made short work of the snipers, leaving the Fireteam free to exit the station.

Buck keyed into the detonator frequency as they escaped, which crippled the Cerberus vehicles and shuttles, leaving them free and clear. With their job done, Locke activated his comms and signaled their Pelican for extraction.

"Copy that, Osiris." The pilot replied. "Be advised, we're seeing movement from the city heading towards the base, so we're going to make this quick."

"Acknowledged, we're ready and waiting."

"Guess the residents noticed the fireworks." Tanaka said, glancing at the large column of smoke coming from the base.

"Man, I would not want to be Cerberus right now." Buck commented.

Their conversation was interrupted by the roaring of engines as the Pelican came down and its rear ramp lowered. The four Spartans didn't waste any time as they boarded the aircraft, getting a good view as the ship lifted off.

They watched as vehicles and aircraft from the nearby city descended on the base, noting what appeared to be mercenaries among them. Then the ramp sealed up as the dropship flew into orbit.

With that their job done, Locke sat down, feeling unease in spite of everything. He had worked for ONI for years, but he still wondered just what was so important that a Spartan fireteam was needed to clear a Cerberus base, especially given everything that was going on.

* * *

UNSC Point of No Return

"It seems that Cerberus is no longer under our control." Admiral Osman noted with a shrug. "Then again, it was always a matter of time."

"Shall I prepare the contingency plans we have in place?" Black-Box asked. Osman paused for a second, thinking.

"Hold off on them for some time." The former Spartan said. "What's our intel on this First Order?"

"A curious faction." BB said. "An Imperial-based PMC, they've slipped under our radar until very recently, considering Natasi Daala's sudden resurgence."

Osman pursed her lips as she read the data. What ONI had on them wasn't much, but mainly because they were barely a blip until Daala started speaking up, urging other factions to support them. And it seemed that the former GA Chief of State still had a fair amount of influence.

The number of supporters was already surprisingly large. A good chunk of the Moffs were willing to support the First Order clandestinely, let alone others from all over their galaxy.

It seemed that the failure of the IDA to deal with what amounted to a criminal organization had a lot of people looking for more effective methods of protection or conquest. While dangerous, Osman knew that she could also turn that to her advantage, especially in regards to Cerberus.

"This First Order might actually prove useful in cleaning house." Osman mused. "Get me all the information we have on Cerberus, including tracking data for the Illusive Man's station."

...

Present time

And this was where Snoke was now, eyeing the data that had been sent anonymously. Security procedures, patrol routes, defense codes, everything someone would need to infiltrate the Illusive Man's base was right here.

His first instinct was that this was a trap, a lure to ensnare his forces in a fight they couldn't escape. But in spite of everything, the Supreme Leader believed that this was genuine, and a chance to get rid of the Illusive Man.

And trap or not, this was still an opportunity the First Order couldn't pass up.

Snoke uploaded the data to his personal terminal, looking over the defenses and composition of the defenses. Kronos Station II had a minimal fleet presence, preferring secrecy to keep the base protected.

Of course, there was a fleet of Cerberus cruisers always stationed nearby, ready to jump in if given the signal, but with the proper codes at the First Order's disposal, getting close enough like that wouldn't be an issue.

The only question was who to send: firstly, he needed a scout ship to actually confirm that there was a base present where it was stated. If it was, this needed to be an infiltration. He'd heard enough of the Reaper war to know that the Illusive Man certainly had his own escape methods prepared if his base came under assault.

Vestara was an obvious choice; she was a trained Sith with skills in infiltration, but even she couldn't do this alone. Ilsa Zane was another candidate, as her augmentations and training had already proven their effectiveness in training.

Of course, those two weren't entirely loyal to the First Order, and Snoke couldn't count on them to do something so dangerous alone. Besides, they would need backup for such an operation.

Then he remembered some of the most recent recruits to the First Order: Inferno Squadron, a former special forces team for the Imperial Remnant. Daala's speech had galvanized the three man team to join them, apparently having grown tired of the Remnant's inaction in IDA affairs.

Inferno Squadron had been formed shortly after the exposure of General Thaal, the Imperial Remnant deciding that they wanted their own counterpart to the Galactic Alliance's Wraith Squadron.

Inferno Squadron had served the Remnant loyally throughout the years, which had brought up concerns that they were attempting to infiltrate the First Order pretending to be defectors.

But Vestara had confirmed that they were genuine in their intentions and this was an opportunity for them to prove their change in loyalty. Having made his decision, Snoke first sent orders to dispatch a scout ship. He needed confirmation before he did anything else.

But if it was true, then the downfall of Cerberus was all but guaranteed.

* * *

Shipmaster Laccabeus stood on the bridge of the _Intention's Eye_ , overlooking the holotable alongside the other Banished leaders, feeling a bit uncomfortable with both the visitors, and their current situation, especially the fact that his ship was heading to the middle of nowhere on the word of someone rather untrustworthy.

While Maul's Shadow Collective kept up their own activities, they had passed along information that could be useful to the Banished, as per their agreements. According to the Sith Lord, one of the other Covenant Remnant factions had had control of a large secret shipyard, hidden from even the prying eyes of ONI.

The Banished leaders were now on their way there, to determine whether Maul's information was accurate. While on en route, Laccabeus mused over the conversation and what Maul had revealed, and more importantly, what he hadn't.

...

*Flashback*

They were on Omega, more specifically an antechamber near one of the smaller docking bays. Atriox's Lich had landed outside, and the Jiralhanae 'delegates' had been ushered into this chamber by Mandalorians, where Maul and his brother were waiting.

He had a datapad in his hands, and was discussing the recent gains that the Shadow Collective had attained thanks to the Banished. Atriox calmly replied that this deal was two way, and the Sith Lord revealed that he already knew of a prize for them.

"A hidden shipyard." Maul said, handing over a data pad to Atriox. "One I can promise you that ONI knows nothing about."

"How can you be sure?" Laccabeus asked suspiciously.

"Because the Flood ensured no one would find it." The Zabrak replied. "After consuming everyone who knew about it."

"Then how do you know about it?" 'Volir asked. The look Maul gave as a reply made the larger Sangheili want to disappear.

"I've learned enough." The Sith Lord finally said. "Those coordinates will bring you just outside any possible automated defenses that may be active."

"I hope so." Atriox said, turning away. "For your sake."

*Flashback*

...

"You have concerns, Shipmaster?" Laccabeus was brought out of his musings by Atriox, who was looking at him with a neutral expression.

"If Maul knew of this place, why would he leave it be?" Laccabeus pointed out. "A shipyard full of Covenant technology would be a great prize to him, either to increase his own military forces or to sell and gain more money. So why give it to us?"

"Because he fears the Parasite." Atriox laughed. "That Zabrak's fear kept him from truly searching for it in case the Flood was to reacquire it."

"What if it's true?" Voridus asked. "What if we find a shipyard filled with Flood?"

While he spoke, Laccabeus couldn't help but notice the damage the younger Jiralhanae had sustained: Voridus' left arm was missing, one of Atriox's many and largest scars for the failure at High Charity.

He had adapted as best he could, getting a cybernetic arm that doubled as similar blades to his old ones, but it was clear that he was lucky to have survived Atriox's rage. Shaking out of his musings, he turned his attention back to the topic at hand.

"We won't." Laccabeus answered, beating Atriox to the punch. "If the Flood returned after the Great Flood War, then the Republic and Separatists would've pursued and destroyed them."

"Precisely." Atriox agreed. "Worse case scenario, we will find only debris, no Flood."

"Shipmaster." Makterbus' voice caused them all to turn around. "We are two minutes from emerging."

"Very good." Laccabeus sat down on his command chair, while Atriox and the rest continued to look over the data.

This facility had belonged to one of the larger Covenant Remnant factions, one that had managed to salvage much from the destruction and civil war of Jul 'Mdama and Sali 'Nyon's factions.

Those Covenant had intended to build a large fleet to strike against the UNSC and their allies, but the Flood put an end to those plans during the Great Flood War. And with the Parasite being driven away by the Republic and Separatists, that meant the shipyards were untouched and ripe for the taking.

Actually finding it had been rather difficult of course (it wouldn't have been well hidden if it wasn't), but the Banished had experience in salvaging hidden facilities, and with Maul's coordinates, they had soon located it.

The blackness of slipspace vanished as they entered, a field of stars appearing instead. In their immediate vicinity, a gas giant could be seen, alongside a pair of small moons. According to the data, the shipyards would be in orbit above the largest moons, the readings from the gas giant masking their profile.

"Deploy the scouts."

At the Shipmaster's order, a squadron of Seraphs were launched from carrier's hanger, streaking through the void. They would be the ones to scan the facility and ensure that it was secure for them. Now, it was just a matter of waiting.

...

Several hours later, the fighters had finally completed their sweep. After scanning the docks for any possible defenses, they did a much more thorough scan for any presence of the Flood.

Finding none, it was deemed safe for troops to enter the shipyard. Voridus had volunteered to go along with them, to hasten the facility's reactivation. Atriox had allowed it, and now a dozen Huragok guarded by several platoons were restoring systems one by one.

And between all the scans, the Banished now had an accurate picture of just what their prize was. And for the first time ever, Laccabeus felt just the tiniest tinge of gratitude to the Sith Lord that had sent them here.

"Very impressive." Laccabeus murmured, looking at a holographic representation aboard the _Intention's Eye_. With him was Let 'Volir and Atriox as usual, who had were overlooking their latest prize.

And what a prize it was.

The docks were damaged, but mostly intact, still capable of building more vessels. But it was at the heart of the shipyards that surprised everyone, and left Atriox in particular smirking with delight.

It seemed that much of the work from this Covenant Remnant faction had gone into restoring a CSO-class supercarrier. And from the scans they had seen, it appeared that they had all but completed it. The Banished Warmaster wasted no time upon learning the vessel was operational.

"Get our forces onboard that ship." Atriox ordered Let 'Volir. "This will be a great boon to us."

"As you command." The Elite fleetmaster nodded, and quickly sent a signal to his best personnel.

Several transports that had been waiting outside the system exited slipspace near the shipyards, a number of them immediately moving to dock with the supercarrier. While that was happening, Atriox was still giving instructions.

"The rest of you, set up in the shipyards and get the Huragok onto the platforms. I want those warships reactivated immediately."

...

It took multiple days for the shipyard to get back up to a semblance resembling working order, during which time Atriox occasionally had to deploy forces for he Shadow Collective. But though Atriox had confirmed to Maul that he had told the truth, there were still some details about the shipyard he had kept from the Sith.

It was an even greater find than they had initially thought. Though abandoned, the vessels contained full complements of weapons, vehicles and other equipment, which Atriox was quick to order his Engineers to refit them to match the Banished standards.

And even better, the supercarrier also contained a cloaking device, derived from Forerunner technology no less. With this treasure trove, the power of the Banished would skyrocket beyond current standards. Even enough to challenge the ruling governments.

Construction of larger vessels like supercarriers or Super Star Destroyers had been less of a priority under the IDA. In spite of their proven usefulness, most factions preferred smaller vessels that could be built far more quickly.

The Republic and Separatists were an exception to this rule, even after the damage suffered during the Great Flood War, but everyone else either couldn't or wouldn't. Some would consider such vessels to be a waste of resources, especially if you could build a smaller one with more firepower, like the UNSC's own Infinity-class supercarriers.

Nevertheless, just having this in the Banished arsenal would make them far more dangerous. It was still a far cry from what the Brute faction had controlled when the Ark was in their possession, but Atriox could take what victories he could get.

Fleetmaster 'Volir had named the vessel _Enduring Conviction_ , after the previous vessel had been destroyed over the Ark. Atriox was tempted to tease him once more, especially about choosing the same name for a vessel that did not describe Let 'Volir's crew or the Banished as a whole.

Still, it was a massive boon to the Banished. With the supercarrier and the accompanying shipyards in their possession, Atriox now had the capability to build up his naval forces to even greater heights than before.

Of course, he didn't intend to just rush the new _Enduring Conviction_ and his new fleet to every little battle: that would just end up creating an even larger target on the Banished than what already existed.

No, Maul would keep the attention of the IDA, leaving the Banished to operate more in the shadows. Atriox still intended to keep this secret, for now. It would be useful in the days ahead.

* * *

Darth Maul sat in his ready room, looking over the bridge of Omega and thinking on current events. The Banished had still been active and aiding the Shadow Collective, but ever since they had taken those shipyards, Atriox had been tight-lipped about what they had recovered there.

Once more, the Sith regretted not taking the chance to search those yards himself, but it hadn't been as easy to get those coordinates as the Jiralhanae had thought, and there was a fairly good chance that they would either be infested or destroyed.

Regardless, Maul was sure that Atriox wasn't planning on betraying him, for now, anyway. The Sith was prepared for the possibility, of course, but unlike Aria, Atriox was too pragmatic to betray the criminal empire, at least without some way of benefiting from it.

And it's not like the Shadow Collective wasn't benefiting from this: another half-dozen worlds had been added to their influence, bringing more resources and profits with them. And thanks to one of Atriox's lieutenants, a Brute by the name of Laccabeus, they even had the coordinates of a world that reportedly held inhabitants wielding magic crystals.

Unfortunately, Laccabeus also reported the planet had recently suffered a small Flood outbreak which had been contained by the two superpowers. As a result, he warned that getting back to Atmos may not be possible.

Maul was inclined to believe him, but some, the loudest being the head of the Blue Suns, wanted to investigate anyway. The Sith Lord had dispatched merc scout ships to the planet's coordinates, but none had reported back.

...

Things had been going so well at first: it had been a smooth cruise through FTL to their destination when the Blue Suns ship suddenly shook violently and the blue streaking void resolved itself into a black void filled with stars.

"Report!" The Batarian captain bellowed.

"Something knocked us out of FTL!" The helmsman replied. "We've suffered major damage to all systems!"

"Energy spike!" The sensor operator shouted. "Some sort of weapon discharge-!"

With a second pulse, the Separatist defense satellite reduced the frigate to atoms. Millions of similar satellites from both superpowers surrounded Atmos' orbit, keeping any unauthorized ship from approaching the planet, no matter the method of transportation.

...

It was clear that this 'Atmos' had been reinforced with Republic and Separatist defenses. Fortunately, those losses could be replaced relatively easily, but it was still a potential resource world denied to the Shadow Collective.

Another issue was the leak on Lorek, which had been dealt with by Locus and Felix. Still, even with the tight control he had, Maul expected spies and traitors in his organization. It was inevitable, obviously, but that didn't mean it was welcome.

Fortunately, none of them seemed to have made it onto Omega yet, so that was secure at least. But with the amount of attention he was getting, the Zabrak was wondering just how long that would last.

"Brother." Savage entered through the door, interrupting his train of thoughts. He was the only other person besides Maul to have easy access to this room, but he wouldn't use it unless it was important.

"What is it, Savage?"

"We've just received a message." The Nightbrother replied, walking up to his sibling. "We were unable to trace the source, but... you need to see this." Savage's mechanical hand tapped one of the monitors and the view changed, showing the message in full.

"Well now." Maul's eyes narrowed as he peered at the screen. "What do we have here?"

...

Han Solo sat in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_ and sighed, just waiting for the meeting to end. They'd been on Vekta for the past three days, with Leia still discussing politics with the Vekta Council.

He'd never been a very effective diplomat, and when the meetings had started, Han had opted to stay with the _Falcon_ , both performing maintenance and ensuring the ship hadn't been sabotaged.

But on occasions like this, he was just waiting for the meeting to end. And unfortunately, things clearly weren't going well: Leia's managed but increasing frustration was seeing to that.

The Vektans wanted independence from their UCN government, and Han would be lying if he said he didn't see the appeal in that, especially given this planet's previous history and his homeworld's nature.

Then again, it was also another distraction the IDA didn't need right now, and Han knew that even the smallest misstep could spark a civil war. They had to be cautious about what they did, otherwise-

An alert from the comms array drew Han's attention to an incoming message, one noticeably coming from the few underworld contacts he still had. With Lando mostly disconnected from that life now, Han's own connections weren't much.

Still, they wouldn't call him up if it wasn't important, and it's not like he had anything else to to do. Checking that the signal was encrypted so that the Vektans hadn't detected it, he opened the datafile and began reading.

Han's eyes widened at the message: someone was selling a device that could trap spirits and use them as an energy source. And if this report was true, it would be auctioned off to the highest bidder in a few months.

He activated the _Falcon's_ long range communication array to put in a call to the Jedi Temple: Luke would want to hear about this immediately.

* * *

 **So, a lot has happened in this chapter. The Banished and the First Order are growing in power, with the latter learning about Cerberus' headquarters thanks to an anonymous tip from ONI.**

 **And in the short term, someone is selling a device that can capture spirits and use them as a power source, which will definitely worry the Jedi, and interest a number of others. I already have a plan for that, but I don't intend on spoiling anything, so you'll just have to be patient.**

 **Still, with all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	7. Ambushes

**Alright, it's time for the next chapter. To recap what happened last time: The Banished have gained access to an abandoned Covenant shipyard, while ONI has anonymously revealed the Illusive Man's location to the First Order. Elsewhere, someone is offering a generator powered by spirits to the highest bidder...**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect or any other franchise that appears in this story.**

* * *

The Jedi Council listened to the report from Han Solo, their expressions remaining mostly impassive, with the occasional moment of alarm. The ex-smuggler had gone through his contacts, including Lando Calrissian, to verify this.

"This is an alarming development." Luke Skywalker said after a moment. "And no one knows who this is?"

"All we've got is the moniker of Crimson Flower." Han replied. "An alias no doubt. Beyond that, we know nothing: there's no criminal actions connected to him, and recognition software came up empty."

"But you don't think this is faked then, Captain Solo?" Master Cilghal asked. Han shook his head.

"He'd be a fool to offer something like this if he wasn't sure it would work." The Corellian said. "And the fact that this was sent through so many channels means that he's serious."

"He could still be lying." Master Octa Ramis pointed out. "It's not out of the question that this man is just looking to scam the criminals of the multiverse."

"True, but he'd have to be insane to do something like that." Kyp Durron rebutted. "That would put a lot of targets on his back."

"Regardless, we can't afford to ignore it." Tionne Solusar interjected. "If such a device exists, its usage could unbalance the Force itself."

The rest of the Masters found it difficult to argue, especially after the events of the Great Flood War. If this device had the ability to entrap spirits, that could mean that Force ghosts could be affected. Jedi and Sith spirits were both in danger if that was the case, not to mention the potential of weaponizing their power.

"Thank you for the information, Han." Luke said. "We'll let you get back to your work." The ex-smuggler nodded and the hologram of him disappeared, leaving the Council to discuss what they had heard.

"I'm more curious as to who this guy is." Corran pointed out. "There's no record of this 'Crimson Flower' in any criminal database I've seen."

"Indeed." Kyle Katarn nodded. "For all we know, this could be some sort of trap."

"For whom? And to what end?" Kam Solusar countered. "If this was sent throughout the multiverse, then others would consider the same thing."

"It's doesn't matter." Luke spoke up. "Trap or not, this is something we need to investigate."

"And even if it is a fake," Master Sebatyne added. "that does not mean others won't come. Including prey that has still remained elusive to us."

There was a moment as the rest of the Council registered the Barabel's words: if the message had been sent through the back channels of the underworld, that meant that the Shadow Collective would almost certainly have learned about it, and such news would draw the attention of Darth Maul himself.

"I doubt that Sith would be foolish enough to show himself at this auction." Barratk'l replied after a moment.

"Perhaps not." Saba admitted. "But he will send a representative, one who could potentially lead us to him."

"Then unless there are any further objections," Luke looked around the room. There were none. "then this is something we must investigate with care."

The rest of the Jedi Council agreed, and those that did now had to decide just who would be in charge of investigating this. Some thought it should be Luke himself, but the Grandmaster pointed out he was too well known to go unnoticed. Though that wasn't the only reason.

Even all these years after his last bout with Abeloth, Luke still hadn't fully recovered. He could still go on missions, but he didn't have the same strength he used to. And with Jaina and Jag in the Imperial Remnant, discussing relations with the Empire of the Hand, there weren't too many Jedi to spare.

Eventually, Corran nominated Kyle Katarn to take charge of this investigation, which was met with almost unanimous approval. With that task dealt with, the Jedi then turned their attention to other matters.

* * *

Three soldiers clad in black storm commando armor entered the briefing room. Only the red stripes and unique symbols on their helmets gave any indication as to their identity. Snoke watched impassively as they stood at parade rest.

"Inferno Squadron reporting for duty, sir!" Commander Iden Versio saluted.

"At ease, soldier." The Supreme Leader said, before turning away and grabbing a datapad. "I have an assignment for you, Commander." He handed her the device, and began the briefing.

"We have received intelligence revealing the location of Cerberus' main headquarters." Snoke said. "Kronos Station II, the main base of the Illusive Man. Your task is to infiltrate the station and take control over it. Any questions?"

"Sir, how reliable is this intel?" Captain Gideon Hask questioned.

"Very reliable." Snoke replied. "Those are all the current codes, patrol routes and troop numbers."

"Why not just destroy the base?" Lieutenant Del Meeko asked.

"We need to ensure that the Illusive Man does not escape." The Supreme Leader answered. "To that end, you are to minimize contact with any Cerberus soldiers."

"Three of us against over a thousand of the Illusive Man's best?" Iden looked up from her data. "This will be a difficult op."

"Agreed, which is why you're not going alone." A door opened into the briefing room and a young woman walked in. "Lady Khai here will be joining you."

...

After the briefing, it took some time for the squad to get used to their partner. Working with a Sith Lord was not something Inferno Squad was used to, but they would adapt, as they always had.

Initially, Snoke had considered deploying Ilsa Zane with them as well, but Iden had protested this on the grounds of her loyalty, and Snoke had agreed to deploy extra Storm Commandos for the mission instead.

Still, the four of them were the initial infiltration team, and it seemed that whatever intel Snoke had acquired was working. Their ship was able to board the station with little difficulty, the defenses recognizing their codes.

The four person squad made their way through the Cerberus station, being careful to avoid coming into contact with any soldiers. With Reaper-based implants, a Force mind trick wasn't guaranteed to work, and any hint of an alarm would mean the Illusive Man's escape.

They had to be cautious and methodical in their infiltration. Fortunately, Iden's ID10 droid proved invaluable at bypassing Cerberus' security systems. Inferno Squadron had stolen the state of the art machine when they defected from the Imperial Remnant.

And it proved its worth in spades, as the device's hacking capabilities allowed the infiltrators easy access throughout Kronos Station. In what felt like minutes, they had soon reached the outer door leading to the Illusive Man's inner sanctum.

...

The Illusive Man sat in his office looking over the data feeds from his operations. A number of Cerberus bases had been attacked and destroyed, mainly by Special Ops teams of the IDA, but still more were intact, continuing their work.

He had received no new transmissions from Serin Osman in a while, which could only mean one thing. The clone knew that sooner or later, ONI would likely come for him, but he intended to make it difficult for that to happen.

Still he needed some kind of advantage, a trump card over anything ONI could throw his way. Allying with the First Order had helped with that, but even with their steadily growing support, Cerberus was still vulnerable.

This new development however, could change that. Someone called Crimson Flower was offering a device that could use spirits as a power source. Something like that had potential for new scientific developments.

Standing up, the man once known as Jack Harper looked over the info with interest. Decades ago, the previous Illusive Man (and the rest of their galaxy for that matter) would've dismissed the very idea of spirits as primitive superstition.

Now though, the Galactic Federation and Galactic Alliance had proof otherwise, and the Council scientists had been forced to accept the existence of magic, though accessing sources proved to be a lot more difficult.

What was being offered though, could change that.

"This will be tricky." The Illusive Man muttered to himself. "If I try to send someone, the entire IDA will be after me." He chuckled slightly: he had to be losing it if he was talking to himself now.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Stunned, the Illusive Man spun around, only to find Vestara Khai sitting in the chair he had just occupied. "Your issues are about to become much bigger."

Moving with an impressive speed for his age, the Illusive Man had his concealed weapon in his hand and halfway pointed at her in less than a second. Unfortunately, his eyes only now took in the two red striped Storm Commandos flanking the Sith, both of whom already had their blasters trained on him. Then the Illusive Man saw nothing as a stun bolt hit him.

"Droid, access environmental controls." Iden ordered as the other commandos moved the Illusive Man. "It won't be long before reinforcements notice us."

The droid did as it was told, floating to the control screen and inputting command codes into the console. Numbers scrolled past the screen as the seeker hit the safety overrides, before activating purge sequences.

There was a rumble throughout the station as every airlock and pressure door opened. All atmosphere in the station with the exception of the main control room had been shunted into the vacuum of space.

Vestara watched dispassionately as the Cerberus soldiers, technicians and scientists suffocated. A few were able to survive using pressure suits or breathing masks, but they were easy prey for the rest of the Storm Commandos. The Sith turned away and walked to the QEC, contacting Snoke's frequency.

"Ah Vestara," Snoke's hologram appeared on the pad. "I take it you have control of Kronos Station?"

"Yes Supreme Leader." Vestara replied. "We're just mopping up the survivors now."

"And the Illusive Man?"

"We have him alive." The Sith said. "As per your request."

"Good." The ex-assassin nodded. "You know what to do."

The hologram vanished, while Vestara turned her attention back to the holoscreens. The last Cerberus survivor was riddled with blaster bolts, leaving the station totally under the First Order's control. Then she turned to the Illusive Man.

"Put him in a cell." She ordered, which Meeko and Hask quickly complied. "I need to speak with him."

...

Searing agony woke the Illusive Man as electrical currents wracked his body. Struggling against his restraints to no avail, the head of Cerberus screamed in pain, which caused the lightning to stop.

"Oh good, you're awake." His eyes opened to see the young Sith standing before him, the scar on her lip giving the appearance of a smirk, even with her neutral expression.

"Now, let's get to business: I'm not a fan of torture for its own sake, so why don't you make this easy on both of us and spill all of Cerberus' dirty secrets." The Illusive Man spat a gob of blood at her.

"I won't tell you anything bitch." Vestara sighed.

"We both know that's not true." She shook her head. "Look I'm trying to make this as painless as possible for you, which is more than most would do I'm sure. Just give us the intel we need and your death will be quick." The prisoner said nothing. "Have it your way." A spherical glossy black droid emerged from behind her. "Get everything you can out of him."

The Illusive Man's eyes widened as the IT-O droid approached, a drop of fluid dripping from its needle. Outside, two Terror troopers stood guard, turning their heads to the door as the screaming began before just looking away.

...

Despite his claims to the contrary, the Illusive Man took very little time to crack from the combination of the torture droid and Force Lightning, and soon he was spilling his secrets at the same rate as his spilling blood.

Hearing that the man was actually a clone of the original was a bit of a surprise, as was the fact that ONI, or at least Admiral Osman had allowed Cerberus' revival, but he also handed over all the intel the technicians needed to take control of the human-supremacist organization.

Once that was done, Vestara summarily executed the Illusive Man, letting his death stretch out after hearing all the crimes both Illusive Men had committed. Meanwhile, the First Order technicians could now access everything they needed.

Cerberus' head had been cut off, but they could still control the rest of their operations from here. The Illusive Man was the person who knew every detail about Cerberus, which meant the First Order now had everything they needed.

"Reroute all system controls to Supreme Leader Snoke." Vestara ordered.

There was a slightly worrying issue however: despite the Illusive Man's claims, there was absolutely no record of anything that linked Cerberus to ONI. This honestly wasn't too surprising for either organization to do, but it meant that the First Order now had to worry about them too.

* * *

Serin Osman sat in her office, looking over the reports from the former Cerberus networks. The First Order techs had done their best work, but they had still overlooked the spy subroutines in Cerberus' systems, which were now connected to the First Order.

To the former PMC's credit, they were smart enough to keep the system mostly isolated from their own networks, leaving Osman without a comprehensive view, but they would deal with that in time. Now there was just the question of what to do about Snoke and his First Order.

"Can we confirm that any actual evidence linking ONI to Cerberus is gone?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Then let them be." Osman replied. "This First Order is doing our work for us."

"What about Ilsa Zane?" BB pointed out. "If the data we have on them is correct, then she's still a loose end."

"We will deal with her when the time is right." Osman said dismissively. "For now, let Snoke play with her. It'll be interesting to see how long their alliance will last."

"Understood, Admiral." Black-Box's avatar shifted to a different report. "Shall I assume you want to focus on this new 'Spirit Generator' rumor that has been circulating through the back channels?"

"Yes, this Crimson Flower." Osman shook her head in frustration. "And you're sure we have nothing on him?"

"He's a ghost." BB said. "Which I suppose does fit with what he's attempting to sell."

Over the last few weeks, a transmission had been circulating through the shadow networks of the underworld, of a previously unknown individual offering to sell a device that could siphon spirits from their resting place and convert them into a source of power.

ONI had kept an eye on these networks for a number of reasons, which was how they had also heard the transmission. The only question was what to do about it. Considering spirits were extra-dimensional beings, harnessing them would provide a considerable amount of energy.

But the concerns remained: ONI had never heard of this Crimson Flower before, and so it appeared no one else had either. The Republic or Separatists might've known something, but if they did, it seemed like they weren't making any moves against him.

"For someone we've never heard of before, he is making many amateur mistakes." BB noted, drawing Osman out of her thoughts. "The message he sent could basically be heard by anyone who wanted to listen."

"Unless that's the point." Osman countered. "We've been unable to locate the source of the transmission, so he's not new to this."

"So you believe this is a trap?"

"Maybe, maybe not." She shrugged. "Either way, this is something that bears investigating."

...

Snoke looked over the data of this spirit generator, unknowingly echoing the thoughts of many others who had seen this. The data had been collected from the Cerberus main system. It seemed that the Illusive Man was busy looking it over when Vestara had interrupted him.

The idea of using spirits as power would've seemed silly, even for Force-users, but it seemed that this Crimson Flower had found a method to do just that. The lack of detail was concerning of course, but for something like this, the payoff could very well be worth the risk.

Snoke shook his head from that train of thought. He would deal with that in time, for now, co-opting the rest of Cerberus' operations would occupy his time. And he couldn't deny that he was impressed.

Scientific and military divisions were scattered throughout the fringes of Citadel Space and the Terminus systems, with ONI's support no doubt a major factor. That aspect was still a concern of course, but it was unlikely that ONI would say anything without jeopardizing their good standing among the UNSC.

So this left the First Order with a small secondary force that could nevertheless do a lot of damage if used properly. But despite this gain, the Supreme Leader knew that it was minimal compared to what else they had gained.

The United States Colonial Marines were offering tacit support to the First Order, along with the UCN and their ISA charges. No official support of course, but it seemed those two governments were also pushing for a way to the big leagues, and viewed the First Order as a means to that end.

There was also growing support from hardliners in the Imperial Remnant supported the First Order. The former PMC was slowly gaining a political legitimacy that it hadn't previously possessed, at a surprisingly quick rate. The ex-assassin never thought he would have Daala to thank for it, but he was wrong.

Then there was Ilsa Zane. The Spartan-IV prototype was still pissed about her leash, but hadn't made a large fuss about it, at least not yet. Still, Snoke had an idea in mind about what she could do next.

* * *

Despite Darth Maul's efforts, there still remained many major criminal operations that existed outside of the Shadow Collective's control. One such operation consisted of a shadowport built into the heart of an asteroid, one admittedly smaller than Omega.

Here, smugglers and corrupt merchants sold their wares, bartered with each other and generally enjoyed the feeling of lawlessness. Lately, it seemed that intelligence operatives from all corners of the IDA had taken an active interest in this place.

And Zane had been ordered by Snoke to find out why. To this end, she'd been provided with a shuttle and a squad of Dark Troopers and Storm Commandos (the latter dressed in plainclothes), both as backup and as handlers in case she got out of line, a fact that she still bristled at.

Oh, she knew exactly why he was doing this to her, and in his position, she'd be lying if she said she wouldn't have done the same, if not worse. But that didn't mean she liked what had been done to her.

Shaking out of her thoughts, she took stock of everything around her. It was just like every other seedy location in the multiverse: crowded, dirty, and with everyone armed. The Dark troopers had stayed in the shuttle, leaving her and the Commandos to look around and blend in.

She got some occasional glances from her height of course, but besides that, nothing else was too out of the ordinary. Of course, it was difficult to tell whether or not any intelligence agents were watching, but that was what she was here to find out.

She wasn't sure when she noticed it, but it soon became apparent that something was happening near the private docking bays. Her enhanced hearing had picked up the sounds of muffled cursing and weapons fire from one of them.

The ex-Spartan made her way to said private hanger, and found several ODSTs guarding a Kom'rk-class fighter. Considering the dead Mandalorians dressed in black and red armor, it was safe to assume that the ship didn't belong to them.

Curious, Zane found a hiding place to observe what was happening, straining to listen in on their conversations. From the sound of things, there were a few techs inside the ship, looking for a specific location.

"I have it." She had to strain to hear the voice coming from the cockpit, but it got easier when the woman walked down the ramp. "We have Omega's current location."

"Upload it immediately." One ODST ordered. "An IDA fleet is already waiting for the signal."

At that moment, Zane's attention drifted from the conversation as she heard the sound of someone silently approaching behind her. It was too quiet to be her allies, and indeed, it was almost too quiet to even hear, but she did and that meant one thing.

"Don't move."

Her suspicions were confirmed by the metallic click of a weapon pointed at her. Zane froze for a moment, then abruptly dropped into a crouch and kicked her attacker in the shins.

The Spartan-IV tripped up, his shot going wild as Zane tackled him to the ground and knocked the Battle Rifle aside. The armored soldier managed to get a hand free and punched Ilsa in the face, stunning her and allowing him to throw her off.

She recovered quickly and grappled with him when he charged her, leaving them to struggle against one another. Below, the fighting hadn't gone unnoticed by the UNSC forces, but they were suddenly assaulted by the First Order troopers, causing a firefight to break out.

It quickly became clear that the First Order was outmatched, especially while wearing minimal armor, as four of them had already fallen to the ODSTs. Zane recognized this, and managed to toss the Spartan over her shoulder.

But instead of pressing her advantage, she ordered a withdrawal, disengaging from the fight as she did. It took a moment for the Storm Commandos to follow, but they did, as best they could, with two more dying in the retreat. Unfortunately, the Spartan picked the rest off, but lost track of Zane.

"Sir, there's been a complication." He reported. "I just encountered Ilsa Zane, but she managed to evade me. We also had a firefight with what appear to be disguised Storm Commandos."

"Understood." A voice came from his comms after a moment. "What about the data?"

"We have it."

...

With her speed, it didn't take long for her to get back to their docking bay, pushing past several bystanders who got in her way, and she rushed up the ramp as soon as it was in sight.

"We need to leave, now." Zane said as she entered the shuttle, the two Dark Troopers aiming their arc casters at them.

"Where are the rest?" One demanded, his robotic voice a low growl.

"All dead." She said. "UNSC forces are here, including at least one Spartan. We need to go, now!"

The Dark Troopers held their aim for a moment longer, then lowered their weapons before one thumped his fist against the cockpit door, alerting the pilot. It didn't take long for the ship to rumble to life, shooting out of the docking bay as soon as they could.

Zane breathed a sigh of relief as the stars streaked and they jumped into hyperspace.

...

Felix woke up in an abandoned region of the shadowport, pain wracking his body. Beside him was Locus, his armor covered in dents and his hands restrained behind his back. He just realized that the same thing happened to him when he noticed his captors.

Three Spartans, clad in dark grey armor were standing in front of them, barely visible in the darkened room. Even their visors were black, leaving them difficult to make out.

Then the memories came back: the two mercs had been sent to here to assess the possibility of taking this shadowport, and discuss further operations with a Banished representative.

More specifically, the two of them were escorting the Shadow Collective representative alongside a quartet of Death Watch soldiers. They had arrived at the meeting point early, but when they did, the gravity pressure had abruptly increased, knocking them all unconscious.

"Oh good, you're awake." One Spartan with a female voice drawled. "I was beginning to think we'd have to carry you out of here ourselves."

The two mercs glanced at each other, Locus' glare made it pretty clear what their position was. They said nothing. "Not in a talkative mood?" Another Spartan snarked, this one with a male voice. "That's fine, your friends did already."

"Confirmed, the data has been transmitted." The third Spartan said after a moment, having been speaking privately on his helmet comms. "The fleet is on its way to Omega." Locus and Felix's eyes widened at that.

"Guess we didn't need the prisoners after all." The female said. "What do we do with them?"

"Keep them alive for now." The leader ordered. "If Maul escapes, they might still be able to lead us to him."

Suddenly, the room was lit up by a blood-red light for a split second before a shockwave knocked everyone away. The Spartan-IVs took the worst of the blow, one of which was already struggling to her feet before Chainbreaker came down upon her helmet.

She didn't get back up.

Capitalizing on the surprise, Atriox used the gravity function to pull the second Spartan towards him before slamming him to the ground, buckling his chestplate. By this point, the third Spartan had recovered and began firing on the Chieftain with his assault rifle, which was intercepted by his shields.

The Banished leader hurled the other Spartan at him, sending the two flying in separate directions. The second Spartan reached for his fallen rifle, but screamed when Atriox stamped on his hand. Chainbreaker swiftly silenced his screams.

"No!"

The third Spartan pulled out his sidearm, firing a couple rounds that were deflected by the Brute's shields. He retaliated by using the gravity manipulator to pull the Spartan closer before throwing him to the ground.

His sidearm fallen, the Spartan pulled out a knife and moved to stab him, but Atriox's off hand grabbed him by the head. The Spartan's knife managed to get through a gap in Atriox's armor, but the Chieftain simply responded by activating the crushing grip of his gauntlet.

Tossing the body aside, Atriox pulled the knife out of his chest as a pair of Brutes emerged from the shadows, heading towards Locus and Felix, who had watched with unbridled awe.

"Release them." The Banished leader ordered, as the two Jiralhanae growled and broke the bindings with ease.

"Impressive." Locus said as the two mercs stood to their feet.

"We have little time." Atriox said. "I have no doubt that more will be on their way."

"Please tell me you have a way off this rock." Felix said, gathering up his weapons and armor.

"My ship is waiting not too far from here." The Brute said as he turned away. "I will take you to it."

The Jiralhanae escorted them to the Banished Lich that brought them here. Through the quick walk, the mercs learned that Atriox had delayed his arrival upon hearing the rumors that UNSC forces were in the region.

"You could've warned us." Felix snarked as they stepped into the former Covenant troop carrier.

"We tried." Atriox waved his hand dismissively. "They were jamming your comm frequencies."

"And now we know why." Locus snarled. "They wanted to figure out Omega's current location." He turned back to the Banished leader. "We need to access your comms array."

Atriox glanced back with narrowed eyes, and for a second the two mercs faltered. It was difficult to forget just how thoroughly he had slaughtered three Spartans, and more importantly, he didn't answer to them.

"I will grant your request." He said after a moment, his silence reminding them that they were currently at his mercy. "It would be inconvenient for our partnership to come to a close so soon."

"What about the station?" One of the other Brutes asked as they flew away. "The UNSC may still be here."

"Destroy this rock." Atriox ordered. "No one else leaves here alive."

At his command, a dozen slipspace ruptures appeared in the asteroid belt. Eight CCS-class cruisers, three CPV-class destroyers and a single ORS-class heavy cruiser emerged into the rock formations and opened fire on the asteroid.

Plasma torpedoes and energy projectors overloaded what little shielding there was before carving through the shadowport with ease. In seconds, the asteroid had been shattered into pieces, debris and bodies spinning out into the cold vacuum of space.

Some ships managed to flee the station before the attack, but most were swatted out of the sky by precise pulse laser fire. Unfortunately a few ships had slipped through the cracks, but it would matter very little in the long run.

Through it all, Locus, Felix and Atriox watched the destruction in the cockpit of the latter's Lich. The Brute Warmaster had a neutral expression, and Locus said nothing, but Felix gave a low whistle.

"Damn, nice hardware." The orange-clad sociopath said. "Looks like that tip really paid off."

Atriox said nothing. Felix took the hint and said nothing else, remaining silent as the Lich entered the hanger of the heavy cruiser. Once inside, they were joined by a pack of Warlords guarding Atriox as they made their way to the bridge.

"What are you going to do now?" Locus was the one who broke the silence this time, causing Atriox to briefly glance over his shoulder.

"We will return you to the Shadow Collective." The Jiralhanae said, turning his eyes back forward. "Your warnings should arrive in time to deal with this ambush."

When they got to the bridge however, a hologram of Fleetmaster 'Volir was already standing there, alongside a hologram of Laccabeus. And judging by the latter's expression, they had more bad news.

"Atriox, we are getting a transmission from Omega." Fleetmaster 'Volir reported. "They are under attack from an IDA fleet and are requesting our assistance."

"So much for staying out of the spotlight." Atriox muttered before speaking out loud. "Mobilize the fleet. We have a battle to fight."

* * *

 **Alright, and that's the end of this chapter. You know, when I started writing this story, I wasn't expecting to focus so much on the First Order at the start, but considering everything they're going through, it really can't be helped right now.**

 **Now, some might say that the First Order is actually growing in power too quickly. Indeed, that is the point. Someone or something is helping them along. Who could it be, I wonder?**

 **Anyway, with all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	8. Unwanted Surprises

**Alright, and we begin the next chapter. Suffice to say, this one will be focusing more on the Shadow Collective and the Banished this time, and with quite a bit more combat as well. With that said, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Maul gripped the railing as the station shuddered, alarms going off inside Omega's bridge. Orders were being shouted as the station and the fleet around it held off the assault as best as they could.

It had all happened so fast: an IDA fleet had jumped into the system, with absolutely no prior warning to the Shadow Collective. Multiple interdictors were hanging back at the edge of the battle while the rest moved in to attack.

It was a mixed fleet, primarily consisting of ships from Citadel Space, the Galactic Alliance, and the UNSC, with a few Sangheili and Imperial Remnant vessels. The Shadow Collective fleet protecting Omega was outnumbered and outgunned by the combined firepower, especially with the GA Super Star Destroyers, Megador and Guardian on the field.

The two Super Star Destroyers focused their fire on the station, turbolaser bolts flashing through the void and impacting the shields, which fortunately held against such an assault.

In response, Omega fired back at the fleet surrounding it, lasers and missiles flashing back and forth, creating a disjointed light show in the sky. Fighters on both sides flitted around, dogfighting and simultaneously targeting weak spots on their opposing vessels.

A Turian Dreadnought fired, targeting the lead Aggressor in the Collective fleet. Within moments, the main gun had brought the particle shields down, hammering against the armor plating. The Aggressor responded in kind, firing off an ion bolt then a plasma bolt.

Unfortunately, the slow fire rate between them proved to be its undoing, as the dreadnought struck a critical blow, causing the plasma bolt to spin off as the bow shifted, before the destroyer was consumed in a large fireball. The dreadnought didn't get to celebrate, as the ion bolt had disabled it, leaving it vulnerable to a bombing strike before it could get its systems back online.

Biting back a curse, the Sith Lord looked over the damage reports. Omega had sustained minimal damage for the moment, but the rest of the fleet was now at half strength, and slowly dwindling.

The Shadow Collective was holding their own, but the IDA forces clearly outnumbered his, and with those Interdictors in play, Maul couldn't escape from this battle. Which meant destroying those Interdictors was his number one priority.

He had sent out a call for reinforcements, but it would take some time for them to arrive, which was a bit of an issue as another one of his Keldabe-class battleships winked out of existence on the holomap.

"Sir, we're detecting slipsace ruptures!" The sensor operator shouted. "Checking... it's the Banished!"

They had arrived, with a fairly substantial fleet. CCS-class cruisers, CPV-class destroyers, SDV-class corvettes, CRS-class light cruisers, and even a pair of ORS-class heavy cruisers. Strangely enough, the _Intention's Eye_ was nowhere in sight.

"All ships, move to engage." Atriox's voice said as a hologram of him appeared on Maul's console. "What do you need from us?"

"Destroy the Interdictors." The Sith replied. "With them gone, we will be able to escape."

Atriox barked orders off-screen and three battlecruisers disappeared into slipspace, only to reappear near the enemy ships in question. Unfortunately, the IDA had accounted for that plan, and no less than two Star Destroyers and four frigates protected each.

One CCS cruiser and a Star Destroyer exchanged broadsides, and despite the smaller size, the latter quickly overwhelmed the former, draining its shields and hammering the hull with turbolaser fire.

The other cruisers quickly overwhelmed the weakened Destroyer, and turned their guns on one of the Immobilizers, carving through the weaker vessel. Their victory was short-lived, as the Stalwart-class frigates turned their guns on the Banished cruisers, overwhelming them in turn.

"It appears that we will require more firepower." Atriox sighed, as he turned to the comm console. "Bring in the _Enduring Conviction_."

Another slipspace rupture appeared, this time in the space between the two Super Star Destroyers. To the surprise of many, the Shadow Collective included, a massive CSO-class vessel emerged from the rift, firing off plasma torpedos, pulse lasers and energy projectors before it had fully exited the portal.

As the weaker vessel, Megador suffered heavily under the barrage, the plasma bombardment overwhelming its shields while the energy projector carved deep into the superstructure. In a moment, the ship's running lights went dark, and hundreds of escape pods were launched from the drifting vessel.

By contrast, the Guardian managed to stay operational, retaliating with turbolaser and ion cannon fire. Unfortunately for them, the Shadow Collective ships took advantage of the distraction, and launched bombing runs against the GA flagship.

The combined firepower slowly began overwhelming the ship, to the point where it had to disengage and retreat from the battle. Even more importantly, the two criminal organizations had been able to take down two of the Interdictors.

But the IDA wasn't finished yet, as an Infinity-class supercarrier and its accompanying battle group emerged from slipspace and moved to reinforce their allies. Knowing the power of such a vessel, the Shadow Collective and Banished moved to retreat.

UNSC cruisers and carriers opened fire, while the supercarrier flagship let loose with its Super MACs, gutting nearly every vessel it hit: the exceptions being the _Enduring Conviction_ and Omega. The former fired off an energy projector, followed by several plasma torpedos, which streaked across the void to batter the other supercarrier's shields.

Several Citadel ships tried to close the gap with FTL micro jumps, but the Banished warships countered with their own slipspace jumps, targeting the rear of the vessels with pulse lasers and plasma turrets.

Eventually, the last Interdictor was destroying, allowing the Shadow Collective forces to retreat from the system. They left behind too many of their own vessels in comparison to the IDA fleet, though the latter had failed in their mission.

* * *

"We suffered nearly 60% losses in that battle." Commander Saxon reported once Omega was in hyperspace. "Nearly a dozen of our most powerful ships are reporting critical damage."

"And Omega itself?" Savage asked.

"It will require some repairs." Rook Kast replied after a moment. "Fortunately the damage is minimal compared to what it could've been."

"Indeed." Maul stood up from his chair with a clearly enraged expression. "What I would like to know is how the IDA found us?!"

"We... know how." The Sith turned to the hologram of Locus, who was standing with Felix and Atriox while they were speaking from the latter's vessel. "UNSC forces ambushed us during our mission. They took us prisoner and clearly managed to extrapolate Omega's location from our ship-hurk!"

Locus and Felix began choking while Atriox looked at them with a neutral expression, before turning back to Maul, who's fist was clenched in anger. "You cannot blame them for this." Atriox simply said. "Clearly someone sold the UNSC that information."

"And they were supposed to clean up that loose end." Maul finally released the two mercenaries, who fell to their knees and gasped.

"We thought we did." Felix coughed. "That guy confessed everything."

"Clearly, you did not." Savage growled, standing beside his brother. "We still have someone feeding the IDA intel."

"In that case, you may wish to avoid your usual fallback locations for the time being." Atriox said. "As per our agreements, I have a location that the IDA doesn't know about."

The Sith was silent for a moment. He was unsurprised to learn that the Banished had their own secrets: the supercarrier he had unveiled today was proof enough of that. He still didn't trust the Banished warmaster fully, but the Jiralhanae had come to his aid when they had asked, revealing one of their trump cards and their alliance to the IDA, even when he clearly hadn't wanted to.

The least he could do was be grateful.

"Very well then." Maul said. "Send us the coordinates."

...

Hours later, Atriox stood outside one of his camps, positioned near the edge of a rocky cliff on this desert moon. The _Enduring Conviction_ hovered high in the sky, the purple hull contrasting with the red running lights, casting a shadow over the land.

Thousands of Jiralhanae, Sangheili, Unggoy, Mgalekgolo and Huragok gathered in the desert. They were a sea where scattered vehicles like Wraiths, Blisterbacks, Scarabs and more were islets, while Outposts and Fortresses were islands themselves. As he overlooked his army, Maul and his entourage came to stand beside him.

"Impressive." Maul said, looking over the field. "Most impressive."

"I'm glad you're impressed." Atriox drawled. "How are your repairs coming?"

"They are proceeding according to schedule." The Sith replied. "In the meantime, it would be prudent to discuss our next move."

After a moment, Atriox nodded and turned back to the tent, where the rest of the main Banished commanders had already gathered around a holotable. Maul, Savage and their top commanders were also present, with Locus and Felix standing in the background.

"With the IDA still hunting us, the best move for the moment is to stay in hiding." Rook Kast said, clutching her helmet under her arm. "We'll have to avoid large recruiting of any other organizations, lest it be another trap."

"We can stick to the outer regions of IDA territory." Fleetmaster 'Volir stepped forward, activating the holotable and creating a map of secure regions. "These locations are rich in resources and are mostly untouched."

"Perhaps." Savage said. "However, we can't just stay in hiding forever. Sooner or later, the IDA will start dismantling our operations, including yours when they find them."

"I'm not so sure." Laccabeus interjected. "Tensions between different factions have escalated significantly, especially with the growing First Order. The manhunt for you seems to be the only thing they're willing to really work towards, and this latest operation might force them to reconsider their actions."

"A valid point." Maul nodded. "The wonders of politics at work."

"In the meantime, there is another item we must consider." Gar Saxon connected a datapad to the holotable, shifting the display to one of the most recent new developments in the multiverse. "This 'spirit generator' is something that we might be able to use."

"An odd device." Voridus noted. "One that doesn't match any known construction."

"Are we sure it's legitimate?" Pavium asked, agreeing with his brother. "For all we know, this Crimson Flower is a charlatan."

"It's possible." Savage admitted. "But such a widespread message for a scam would be suicidal."

"There's only one way we can learn this for sure." Atriox interjected, looking at Maul. The Sith nodded.

"We secure the artifact." The Sith ordered. "It could be a great boon to us if it's real and if it isn't..." He didn't need to say anything more.

A few minutes later, the alliance had decided who would go to this auction when the time came; specifically, Felix, Locus and Laccabeus would lead a small force to secure the device one way or another.

"And if there are others coming to claim it?" Laccabeus asked.

"We leave that in your capable hands." Atriox replied.

With that settled, the meeting moved on to other matters.

* * *

Vestara Khai walked through the sleek and clean halls of this facility, on edge from all the white-armored soldiers around her. These weren't First Order troops, however. No they were Cerberus' men and women, implanted with Reaper tech and with little free will of their own.

Despite their control, the First Order wanted to ensure that the human-supremacist organization wouldn't do something they didn't want, and when they saw what orders had been previously given to this cell, the Sith was personally sent here to make sure the operation was at least postponed.

Somehow (no doubt with ONI's help), the terrorist organization had managed to hide this base on the outskirts of the Hapes Cluster. Their intention? To smuggle Xenomorphs all throughout the Hapes Consortium, causing chaos for the rulers.

For a number of reasons, this concerned the First Order, not only due to the considerable power of the Hapes Consortium, but also due to the Jedi Sanctuary on Shedu Maad nearby.

How this place had not been discovered yet, Vestara didn't know, but she did know that with the Jedi involved, it would only be a matter of time. This operation needed to be shut down, at least for now.

Soon, the Sith entered the control room, where several soldiers and a pair of scientists were working. The latter didn't have the same Reaper implants as the soldiers, but Vestara could feel that their will was not their own.

"Ah, Lady Khai." One of the scientists said, turning to her. "We have been expecting your arrival."

"What's your status?" The Sith asked, cutting right to the chase.

"We are dismantling the operation as we speak." The man replied. "The specimens are being loaded onto the ships."

"Good. Once that's done, you are to abandon this base as well."

"Ma'am?"

"That's an order." Vestara's eyes narrowed and the other scientist gulped. "This place is to be purged before the Hapans find out about th-" Her eyes widened as she felt a presence in the Force, one really close by.

It was someone incredibly strong in the Force, but more specifically, it was someone she knew rather intimately. She felt his senses focus on her, surprise rippling through the Force revealing that he was as surprised to find her here as she was with him.

"The base has been compromised." Vestara drew her attention back to the present. "There's a Jedi here, and I doubt he's here alone."

"How do you know that?"

"I can sense him." Vestara snarled. "Delete any compromising data and evacuate the base."

"Sir, Hapan vessels are in orbit!" Someone called, drawing the commander's attention. "They're forming a blockade around the planet."

"Damnit." The scientist cursed. "Activate purge protocol." He turned around. "Lady Khai, I-" But the Sith was already gone.

...

Vestara made her way through the halls of the base, ignoring the alarms blaring around her and the soldiers rushing to and fro. It was clear that someone had managed to disable the defenses and allow the Hapans to find the facility.

At this point, the young Sith just needed to get out of here. The First Order was more than willing to write this base off, and clearly she shouldn't have bothered. Now, she just needed to get out of here, preferably before _he_ caught with her.

But when she came across a hallway with several dead Cerberus troopers, several of which had clearly been dispatched with a lightsaber, she knew that she was out of time. Confirmation came when he emerged from the corner ahead, blocking her path.

"Hello, Ben."

Ben Skywalker stood at the far end of the hallway, definitely looking older than when they had first met. Biologically, he was in his mid-twenties, though chronologically, they were both older than that. The wonders of modern medical technology.

This wasn't their first encounter since that time, and even still, her heart fluttered with yearning every time she saw him. She knew that he felt the same, but his devotion to the light and hers to the dark meant that their every encounter hadn't ended too well.

"It's been a long time, Ves." Ben said, his tone and expression emotionless.

There was nothing more to really say. The snap-hiss of their igniting lightsabers did that for them. In a second, their blades were clashing, red and blue light interconnecting as Jedi and Sith did battle once more.

Despite this, neither of them were actually going all out against each other. After everything that had happened between the two of them, it wasn't surprising, and after a brief clash of their blades, they broke away, briefly circling each other.

"How many times are we going to keep doing this?" Vestara sighed. "You and me, Jedi and Sith. Mortal enemies and yet..." She didn't have to say anything else. They both remembered those stolen nights together.

"The Sith are gone, Ves." Ben said simply, going through the same motions once more. "The Flood saw to that. Just come with me, peacefully. We can sort this out." She looked away briefly, closing her eyes. Despite this, the Jedi made no move to attack.

"Would the Jedi really take me back?" She asked sadly, looking at Ben again. "After what I've done to them, to Master Skywalker. To you."

"It's not too late." The Jedi insisted, shutting off his lightsaber. "We can work through this, together."

"Can we?" Vestara deactivated her lightsaber. "Ben, for everything I've done, no one will ever want to let me go."

"Please, Ves." The redhead was all but begging at this point. "I don't want to lose you."

"Could you leave the Jedi?" She asked suddenly. "Just go. We can forget about the past, and leave it behind. Just you and me. Together."

"Ves, I..." He sighed. "You know I can't do that."

"Yeah." She chuckled sadly. She knew his convictions. It was one of the many reasons she loved him. "I knew you'd say that."

Abruptly, she hurled a bolt of Force Lightning at him, forcing him to reactivate his lightsaber to deflect it. She took his brief moment of distraction and ran, but was halted when a blaster bolt struck her leg and she collapsed to the ground.

He had been accurate, shooting where there wouldn't be any permanent damage, but rather slowing her down considerably. She flipped herself over to find him looming above, his sidearm out and pointed at her.

"I'm sorry Ves. I can't let you leave this time." He pulled her off the ground, keeping his blaster pointed at her in such a way that he could shoot again if needed. No doubt he was expecting her to try and disarm him.

Instead she pulled him closer and pressed her lips to his, kissing him deeply and thoroughly. His split second of surprise was all she needed, allowing her to pull out her own blaster and shooting him in the chest.

One stun bolt and he collapsed. Vestara caught his body and gently laid him on the floor. She knew that he wouldn't be out for long, but she stayed with him for a moment, clutching his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry, Ben." She whispered.

Turning away, she limped back to her ship, but paused for a moment when more alarms started up. They were quickly followed by hissing and screeching, along with horrified screams of allies and enemies alike.

Cursing in Keshiri, she reactivated her lightsaber as soon as one of the newly released Xenomorphs emerged from a nearby vent and screeched at her. She brought her blade up in a guard position as soon as the creature lunged at her.

...

It took her some time to escape, what with her injuries, the Xenomorphs and the current Hapan attack, but eventually she was able to escape the planet, leaving the Cerberus base to its fate at the hands of the Hapes Consortium and the Jedi.

After taking a moment to tend to her wound with the onboard medkit, Vestara sat in the pilot's seat, looking out into the swirling tunnel of hyperspace. Keying the comm signal, she was soon patched into Snoke.

"Report."

"The base was compromised by the Hapes Consortium." She replied. "The Jedi no doubt led them there."

"Damn it." The Supreme Leader cursed. "I was hoping to at least salvage some of the data. Return to Starkiller Base immediately."

"Understood." With a sigh, she cut the link, thankful that he didn't want any more details, at least for the time being. Knowing that she had a long flight to the First Order headquarters, she left the cockpit to get some sleep.

Her dreams were once more of her and Ben, free of the burdens of being Jedi and Sith.

...

With Vestara on her way back, Snoke looked over the data that he currently had. The loss of the Cerberus station was but a minor setback, but it was still an annoyance for the Supreme Leader.

Of course, with the Jedi involved, he knew things were inevitably going to get more complicated, especially if they were going to go for the spirit generator as well. Speaking of which, the time of that auction grew near, and he had to prepare for it.

He had chosen to dispatch Captain Phasma, Inferno Squadron and a detachment of First Order soldiers, to retrieve the artifact, and if necessary, deal with any others who might get in the way.

He was hoping it wouldn't come to that, but with such a widespread message, the presence of IDA representatives was all but guaranteed, and with Vestara and Ilsa Zane occupied, they were the only soldiers he could spare.

Idly, he wondered whether or not the First Order supporters would send their own delegations to this auction, and made a note to question Daala about that later. At the very least though, it didn't seem like the Republic or Separatists were interested in this, so that was one variable they likely wouldn't have to worry about.

* * *

"Well, we clearly know now what those Unitologists were doing with the Darkhold page."

"Shit. That's got a lot of unnerving implications."

"That's an understatement. I mean, capturing spirits? There are so many things the Gravemind could do with that. None of them are pleasant."

"And to top it off, we once again can't interfere openly, not without starting another war."

"Well, there is someone we can ask..."

"... You can't be serious."

"What? He's the one who found the page in the first place, he can probably locate this as well."

"Look, even assuming this is a good idea, how do we even contact him? We don't exactly have time to find him ourselves."

"... You got any agents willing to literally go to hell?"

...

A portal appeared and two armor-clad individuals stepped out, taking a brief examination of their surroundings as the portal closed. This place wasn't nearly as bad as they thought, but a sense of unease gripped them both nevertheless.

"I'm starting to regret volunteering for this."

"You volunteered? We had to draw straws."

"And you got the short end?"

"No, we all volunteered and I was the one who won the chance to come here." The sarcasm was palpable. "What the fuck do you think?"

"Let's just get this done with."

Supposedly, they had been dropped off within half a kilometer of their target's location, which meant that they wouldn't have to look very far. Of course, their arrival hadn't gone unnoticed by him either.

"You know, people never come here." They turned to the voice of the man they were looking for. "In fact, they tend to desperately want to leave."

"I can see why." One of the new arrivals muttered.

It was definitely the man they were hoping to see, given the vehicle he was working on clearly belonged to him. He barely glanced behind him as he performed maintenance on the automobile. However, the two agents were rather unnverved, considering that he hadn't been there a minute ago.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure?" The man asked. "Am I talking to the Republic or Separatists? Or both?"

"Both." The Republic agent said. "And we need your help."

"There's an artifact being sold in the IDA, one we can't exactly interfere with by ourselves." The Separatist agent continued. "We need your help to get it."

"Why do you want me to do it?" Their 'host' asked. "Even limited, you clearly have your own agents who can do this."

"Because this artifact was made from the Darkhold." The Separatist agent explained. "Designed to capture spirits and use them as energy."

"Or worse."

With a sigh, the man at last gave them his full attention, turning from his work to look at them with a fiery orange glow in his eyes. The two agents hesitantly took a step back, knowing how dangerous he was.

"Give me the location." Robbie Reyes said. "I'll take care of it."

* * *

 **Well, shit's about to go down. If you've read Spirits and Shields prior to this, then the upcoming chapters should be interesting to you, as it's a continuation of what happened in that story.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will involve the spirit generator I've been building up so much in the past chapters. Truth be told, it was mostly an excuse to have Ghost Rider make another appearance, but it will have far reaching impacts in this story regardless.**

 **Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	9. Dealing with the Devil

**Alright, and now we get into the next chapter. Finally, the Spirit generator that's been hinted at is about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Unfortunately for everyone there, someone else also wants the generator, and he's not going to leave without it...**

 **Anyway, this is technically a sequel to Spirits and Shields, so it might help to read that story first if you want a clearer understanding of what's happening.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Legend of Korra, Agents of SHIELD, or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

The specialists of the Normandy gathered in the shuttle bay, preparing their weapons and gear for the upcoming task at hand. Granted, most of them would probably just end up sitting in the shuttle, but with something like this, it was all but expected for combat to break loose.

The Council had ordered the Spectres to retrieve this Spirit Generator, going in alongside the other members of the IDA delegation. Shepard, Garrus, and Ashley were the ones they were referring to, but strangely enough, they weren't the only Spectres that would be here.

The Council had ordered quite a few Spectres and commandos to be here, which to Garrus seemed like a gross misuse of resources. He still wasn't sure what to think about the idea that Spirits were truly real, or that someone had found a way to harness them for power, but he had seen enough in the multiverse to know that he couldn't really doubt it.

He stole a glance at Asajj Ventress, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor in a meditation pose. Everyone in the hanger gave her a healthy level of space, knowing just what she was capable of.

It really was like having Jack aboard again.

"Shepard's taking his time." Ashley noted, drawing Garrus away from his thoughts.

"Probably just stuck in traffic." He inwardly winced at the bad joke even for him.

Thankfully, he was spared from any more awkwardness when EDI spoke up, revealing that Shepard was coming down the elevator now. And right as she said that, the doors opened and the Commander stepped out, looking unusually sullen.

"Everything alright, Loco?" James asked, instantly catching on to his mood. This drew the attention of the rest of the Normandy's squad.

"Could be better." Shepard sighed before turning to the Prothean and the Dathomiri witch, the latter of whom had stood up when he arrived. "Javik, Ventress, you two are staying aboard the ship."

Unsurprisingly, there was a moment of confusion from everyone, especially the two in question. Javik's narrowed but he didn't say anything, having trusted the Commander's judgement in the past. Ventress however...

"And why would that be, Commander?" She asked simply, with the slightest hint of anger in her tone.

"Besides the fact that there's bound to a number of Jedi there, and we don't want to needlessly antagonize them?" Ventress raised an eyebrow, causing Shepard to sigh again. "I just got a call from the Republic..."

...

Moments ago.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"You're to leave the generator alone." Their Republic liaison said. "Someone else is coming to take it, one way or another."

"Another of your agents then?" Shepard crossed his arms.

"... In a sense." The hesitation in his voice was worrying. "Commander, if you must go down to that auction, I would suggest leaving your more... morally questionable crew members behind. I doubt he'll take their presence very well."

"How ominous." Shepard snarked. "Anything else I should know about?"

"Don't get in his way. It will end badly for anyone who does."

"That's reassuring." Shepard sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can you at least tell me this person's name?"

Judging from the expression of their liaison as he looked off screen, this was something that was either fairly classified, or that the Republic was genuinely afraid of. Neither option was filling Shepard with much confidence.

After a moment, the liaison looked back at the Commander and said three words before abruptly disconnecting the link.

...

"The Ghost Rider?" Ashley repeated. "Must be a code name or something."

"Maybe." The first human Spectre shrugged. "Who or what he is, it's something the Republic is concerned about. And our more morally questionable members here..." All eyes went to Ventress and Javik.

"Fine." The Nightsister said. "I'll remain here."

"As will I." The last Prothean nodded in agreement.

"Commander, we're in orbit." Joker's voice emerged from the intercom. "We're ready to drop on your command."

"Alright, everyone else, get in the shuttle." Shepard ordered. "Cortez, you have the flight plan."

...

On the shuttle ride down, Shepard took a brief moment to look over where they were going. The world in question was a small rocky moon, with just enough habitable atmosphere to sustain a small colony.

Surveyors hadn't even bothered to give the world a proper name, with only the designation MX4592854-7 to identify it. The small town's population was barely past 300, and the buildings weren't up to any level of safety standard.

But they were not landing at the town: instead the coordinates took them to a spot over 20 kilometers away from the colony. To the naked eye, it looked like nothing was out here, but then again, Normandy's sensors had shown otherwise.

There was a bunker hidden within a rock formation, most likely constructed quite recently. Holographic projectors disguised its location from prying eyes, while sensor scramblers further masked its location.

"Coming up on the LZ now." Cortez reported, bringing the ship into a dive and flying towards a large rock.

They passed through the hologram, seeing the large landing pad already containing several ships, a number of them clearly marking the different factions of the IDA as well as a couple of Spectre-owned ships.

"Isn't that the _Ghost_?" Ashley asked, pointing to one of the vessels as they began landing.

"You know, I think it is." Garrus replied, taking a look for himself. "I guess they'll be here as well."

After Cortez landed and the squad disembarked, they came across the rest of the IDA force. Most of them were gathered in groups designating which faction they were with (Shepard wasn't surprised to note the five blue armored Spartans present among the UNSC), the main exception being the Jedi.

"Commander Shepard." Kanan Jarrus greeted, stepping forward and shaking the Spectre's hand. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise." Shepard nodded. "Hopefully this will go better than our last meeting."

"Indeed." A new voice emerged as a bearded human in casual clothes walked up to them. "It's surprising to hear that Asajj Ventress is alive, let alone working on your crew, Commander."

"I hope that's not cause for concern," Shepard idly noted the lightsaber hanging from the man's belt. "Master..."

"Kyle, Kyle Katarn." The Jedi Battlemaster also shook the Commander's hand. "And no it won't be. These days, we have more pressing concerns than an old Dark Jedi that hasn't been active since the Clone Wars."

"Darth Maul." Shepard guessed, having noticed the distinct lack of Shadow Collective ships on the pad, even though they almost certainly would've gotten the message. "You really think he'd show up here?"

"I doubt it." Kyle replied. "But with something like this, there's no way that Sith won't send at least someone to claim it."

"Well, good luck with that." The Commander replied sincerely. "Hopefully you'll have better luck than I did."

With that conversation done. Shepard took a walk through the crowd, doing his best to at least engage in conversation with the others. Kyle, Kanan and Ezra weren't the only Jedi present, as a couple others Shepard didn't know were milling around as well.

In addition, EDI pointed out that members of the GA's Wraith Squadron was also here, the Gamorrean leader being a dead give away. Despite all the protection, many soldiers were on edge, sweeping the area as they were all forced to wait outside the bunker entryway.

Some were tempted to either hack the door or blast it open, but their host probably wouldn't take too kindly to that. Of course, Shepard was aware that this wasn't the only landing pad, and that the Shadow Collective representatives were likely here already.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, signalling that the IDA representatives were free to enter the structure. A dozen soldiers, alongside two Spartans were left to guard the landing pad as the rest moved to enter the bunker.

Shepard took one last look at the area beyond the landing zone, then moved to follow them into the bunker.

* * *

Back in the town, there were few people aware of what was going on outside the colony, and fewer still who actually cared about it. Since no one was actually coming to the town, apathy quickly set in.

Little did anyone realize that someone was about to arrive through here first, and not in a way they would expect.

A portal opened in the middle of one of the side streets, and an archaic black car emerged from the circle of flaming light. A single drugged up Zeltron was present and saw a flaming skull driving the car.

The alien promptly fainted before Robbie's flesh reappeared over his face. The demon host drove through the streets, his goal firmly in mind. He knew where the auction was thanks to the Republic and Separatists, and more importantly, where the artifact was.

With the goal in mind, Robbie gunned the engines, taking his vehicle out off-road onto the rocky surface. A normal car wouldn't have been able to traverse this terrain, but this was no ordinary vehicle, and soon his destination was in sight...

...

It didn't take too long for the IDA to reach their destination. The twisting corridors led them to a large amphitheater, a rather basic one in design, all things considered. The room could comfortably fit at least 800 people, but the IDA alone was currently using only a fraction of that.

Once the delegates were inside, the doors had sealed off, leaving them locked in for the moment. Of course, they weren't the only ones in here, with representatives from the Shadow Collective, Banished, and strangely the First Order, were here as well, each with their own section.

Representing the former two were the two mercenaries, Locus and Felix, and Shipmaster Laccabeus, along with their own rather large collection of soldiers and guards. Meanwhile, the First Order had the chrome-armored Captain Phasma, alongside Inferno Squadron, plus a platoon of their own Stormtroopers.

Energy shields kept the factions separate, ensuring that no one would be able to kill each other. Not yet, anyway. A small gap existed between the separate barriers, allowing a path through them for those the auctioneer chose.

Speaking of which, the man in question finally made his appearance, as a burst of fire appeared on the stage, with Crimson Flower standing behind it as it dispersed. In addition, a collection of guards, a motley group of different species, appeared from concealed entrances, surrounding the stage or lining the walls. As the auctioneer stepped forward, the device in question raised itself up on a shielded pedestal.

"Welcome everyone." Crimson Flower greeted. "I see that my message has been well received. Now, in the interest of security, all factions will be kept in separate sections until the artifact is sold. Any questions?"

"Actually, I have one." The voice emerged from the First Order side, where Captain Phasma stood. "What exactly is so special about this generator?"

"I must ask the same." That was the voice of Locus, who was in the Shadow Collective section. "What will spirits provide that so many others will not?"

"A fair question." Crimson Flower replied. "Fortunately, there are a number of things that can be done, among which is usage as a weapon."

Several individuals, particularly the Jedi bristled at that, but said nothing as a screen emerged from the ceiling and a recording began playing. The recording was grainy, almost like it had been made without any digital imagery, but the image was clear enough.

A large cannon sat on a rail line, its barrel pointed at a presumably deserted town. A strange creature, almost like a large six-legged flying bison flew into the town as the cannon charged. The massive gun shook as something off-screen knocked it off target, but the purple beam of energy still fired, punching a massive hole in the mountain behind the town.

When the demonstration was done, Crimson Flower was admittedly surprised at the reaction: while a number of people were either impressed or horrified, more than a few were seemingly underwhelmed by the destructive power.

"That was just a prototype." The auctioneer said. "Rest assured, the weapon can be miniaturized and its power increased to unimaginable levels."

"You know, there's a much more important question:" That came from Felix. "Does it actually work?"

There was a muttering of agreements from all sides. In response, Crimson Flower activated another control, displaying their capture missions from all sides. Several strangely-shaped spirits in a clearly unusual world were absorbed, followed by the absorption of a Chozo Ghost from one of their ruins.

Finally, it got to the red-tinted trees of Dathomir, where the green spectre of a Nightsister spirit screamed as it was absorbed into the device. Several individuals bristled at that, Jedi included, but no one spoke.

"Any other questions?"

"And what of those who wield it?" A voice emerged from the IDA side, coming from Spectre Ashley Williams. "We all have spirits, do we not? What happens if it wishes to contain us?"

"Fear not." Crimson Flower replied. "The artifact was designed only to capture free spirits. Any spirit within an organic body will be untouched."

"I somehow doubt that." One Turian Spectre muttered from the Council section.

"Well, I'm sure others will be happy to take it if you don't want it." Crimson Flower replied. "The bidding begins at 500000 credits."

There was a moment where it seemed like no one was going to continue, then a soldier from the Shadow Collective bid 750000, followed by a million from the IDA side and 1.2 million from the First Order.

Crimson Flower smirked briefly at the reaction. While the amount of interest each faction had in the device was questionable (the Jedi being the exception) it seemed that they certainly didn't want the others to get their hands on. Events were proceeding exactly as anticipated.

Then a wrench was thrown into that plan.

At that moment, an alarm sounded bringing the auction to a grinding halt. Crimson Flower turned to his guards and asked what was happening. "Our perimeter's been breached." The human said. "We have an unauthorized vehicle in the compound."

"Then lock down all sections."

"We're trying, but it's going right through them." The man took a look at his omni-tool, his eyes widening. "Shit. Sir, it's right-!"

...

Ezra watched as the auctioneer conversed with the guard, his stance growing increasingly agitated as they spoke. But Ezra could sense his fear through the Force, and his own eyes widened when his danger sense alerted him. So he was somewhat prepared for what happened next.

A thunderous impact sounded and a blast of dust and debris emerged into the room, glancing off the shields. The representatives, soldiers and criminals alike, turned to the source with their weapons instinctively drawn. They were surprised to see a wheeled vehicle from Earth's 20th century in front of the hole, but that wasn't the only oddity.

Besides looking archaic, the car was noticeably rather clean and without a scratch considering it had just driven through a ferrocrete wall. As the dust settled, the driver side door opened and the driver stepped out, acting rather casual for a man who had just driven through fifteen centimeters of ferrocrete and several energy shields and blast doors.

He was a Hispanic man, one who looked vaguely like a mechanic. He was clad in all black, a pair of dark jeans and black and white shoes. His black leather jacket had a strange white symbol on the front, while a length of metal chain was wrapped around him like a sash. But for Ezra, that wasn't what was bothering him.

"Kanan?"

"I feel it too."

They weren't the only ones. Every Force-sensitive in the room could feel something off about this man. It was as if he had two separate and distinct presences about him, one of which radiated power, but also a feeling of... vengeance.

It was enough to make all the Force-users in the area to subconsciously clutch at their weapons. They weren't the only ones: all of Crimson Flower's guards took aim at the intruder and the rest of the IDA were already prepared for a fight.

Strangely, Shepard and his team weren't as surprised as everyone else. They had their weapons out, yet Kanan could sense that they had been expecting something like this.

But this new arrival either didn't notice the tension or didn't care: He walked into the room calmly, unafraid of the massive amount of armed individuals present. His gaze turned to the artifact.

"I've come for that."

"Well, get in line buddy." Crimson Flower chuckled as a Krogan guard moved to intercept him.

The new arrival punched the alien and to everyone's surprise, it was the latter who staggered back. He didn't let up, pummeling the krogan into the ground before grabbing a Batarian that tried to aid his ally and tossing him aside.

The remaining six guards backed away slowly, their weapons in their hands were suddenly knocked away by a sweep from the man's chain, which then unnaturally wrapped itself back around his body.

"It's you." The auctioneer whispered, a look of dawning terror on his face. "The demon in human skin. The Ghost Rider."

"You know who I am, then you know what I can do." The new arrival growled, and for a second, several people could swear his eyes began glowing a fiery orange. "Hand the device over."

"Not likely." The entrepreneur leapt and did a spin kick, and strangely a wave of fire emerged from his leg's passing.

The fire forced the guards to leap out of the way or find cover, but his main target didn't even flinch as the flame washed over him. Once the burning had passed, not a single hair was singed on his head.

"You're a firebender." The man said conversationally as he pulled the chain off his body and let it fall to the floor. "I'm surprised the Red Lotus would be trusted enough for something like this."

Crimson Flower punched the air, sending another blast of flame at the man who calmly walked through it. Seeing that this 'Ghost Rider' was undeterred, he quickly called out to the confused crowds.

"Change of plan: anyone who can stop him will get the device!" The 'firebender' ran over to the control console, hitting the controls to shut off the force fields. But this action cost him.

The chain wrapped around the man's arms and waist, restraining Crimson Flower. Suddenly, the length of metal burst into flames, sending fire crawling up the auctioneer's body. His scream was quick before he died, and a pull of the chain caused the man to crumble into dust and ash on the floor.

But the damage had been done and all the factions were now free to fight for the device the normal way. Suddenly, a blaster bolt whizzed past the man's head, and he turned to see two Death Watch soldiers with their gauntlet weapons aimed at him.

"Not so fast."

...

Robbie Reyes smirked at the two armored soldiers, noticeably sending a chill up their spines. One of them fired again, but Robbie narrowly avoided the energy bolt and swung the flaming chain, carving through the armor with ease.

The other soldier was about to retaliate, but a stray shot from the three way firefight going on behind them struck his jetpack, causing an explosion that sent shrapnel into the control console. The demon host was unharmed by this, of course.

However, due to the damage, the force fields now popped up at random intervals, leaving different groups scattered and separated from each other. Unconcerned with that, Robbie turned back to the artifact, but suddenly found himself lifted into the air and pulled in the opposite direction.

Invisible hands deposited the young man right on the ground in front of a glowing blue lightsaber, the tip of which was being held at his head by the bearded figure of Kyle Katarn. Two other Jedi and a pair of alien soldiers were also standing close by.

"Sorry about this." Master Katarn said softly. "But I can't let you take that." Robbie chuckled in response, a combination of anger and dark amusement sweeping through him and causing the other Jedi to take half a step back.

"You assume you have a choice." Robbie's fiery chain wrapped itself around the lightsaber blade, surprising the Battlemaster and allowing the young man to pull him to the ground, before punching him in the head.

He quickly rose to his feet, noticing the two Jedi had their lightsabers out, while the others had hastily drawn their own weapons. Robbie ducked underneath the alien Jedi's swing, wrapping his chain around the lightsaber blade and hurling him over his back.

The other Jedi had closed the distance and instinctively Robbie managed to catch the green energy blade in his hand, grunting in pain from the searing heat. The blond man's eyes widened at the sight, his surprise allowing the young mechanic to kick the human in the stomach, hurtling him into the energy field.

With no input, the lightsaber deactivated and the hilt clattered to the floor as Robbie turned his attentions to the remaining guards. The two were trembling in terror at both what he had just done, and the fact that he had suffered no lasting damage while doing it. A quick swipe of chain disarmed them immediately.

"Stay out of this." He turned away, looking at the energy field.

It was chaos beyond the barrier, as multiple factions warred for the right to claim the spirit generator, not helped by the random activation of the shield walls, one of which was currently blocking his path to the stage. The demon host walked up to the barrier, ignoring the stirring Kyle behind him, a mistake the battlemaster intended to capitalize on.

Kyle immediately hurled bolts of Force Lightning at Robbie, dialing the voltage down enough that it wouldn't kill him. But then his flesh began smoking, causing the Battlemaster to let up on his attack, cutting the stream of energy, worried that he still might have overdone it. But he was quickly proven wrong

To everyone's surprise, Robbie's skin and flesh bubbled and boiled, burning from the inside out, letting loose a demonic growl. His skull was now exposed, with noticeable cracks in it. But what was really terrifying were the glowing fiery pupils in his eye sockets.

Oh, and the fact that his skull was on fire and yet he was still moving in spite of all of it.

"What the fuck...?"

...

When the shield had fallen, everything had quickly dissolved into chaos. Laccabeus had no idea who the young man was, nor did he much care at the moment. All he knew now was that they had to fight their way out.

Almost instantly, two Death Watch soldiers had jetted away towards the stage, while the rest of the Banished and Shadow Collective found themselves in a chaotic melee with the IDA and First Order.

Unfortunately, something had damaged the shield walls, which started activating at random throughout the auditorium, cutting off access to different sections of the large room. Laccabeus was separated from Locus and Felix, and found himself face to face with a squad of First Order stormtroopers, who had quickly dealt with a pair of GA soldiers before turning to him.

With only two Brutes to support him, Laccabeus nevertheless charged into the fray, enjoying the visceral feeling as a swing from his gravity hammer turned one stormtrooper into pink mist.

By the time the squad was finished, one of his Brutes had been killed, while the other's shields had fallen. The force fields shifted again, and that Brute died when an ODST unloaded several rounds into his head.

Laccabeus turned to the UNSC soldier with a snarl, but before he could enact his revenge, five blaster bolts punched through the man's shields and back, as a chrome-armored figure walked forward and put another blaster bolt in the body for good measure.

"Phasma." Laccabeus growled, smirking as he approached the First Order captain. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Laccabeus." Phasma had enough time to fire a barrage of blaster bolts before leaping away from Laccabeus' charge. The shockwave sent her flying into another force field, where she groaned as she rose to her feet. "Why am I not surprised that you're here."

"We never did properly finish our little conflict on Atmos." The Shipmaster said, stalking over to Phasma. "I never thought I'd get a chance for some payback."

Phasma rose to her feet and was prepared to dive out of the way again, when a demonic growl made itself known. Risking a look, Laccabeus turned around and did a double take. The man Crimson Flower had called the Ghost Rider was currently missing all of his flesh, and his exposed skull was currently on fire.

The Shipmaster wasn't the only one struck dumb by this: absolutely everyone had paused to gape at the transformed human, Phasma and her soldiers included. The spell was broken when the bearded Jedi struck with Force Lightning, only to be knocked aside.

Pandemonium reigned.

...

Shepard had known that things were going to get ugly when the Republic had called earlier. Seeing the car bust in, it hadn't taken him or his team very long to guess his identity, something Crimson Flower was happy to confirm before he died.

The strange fire powers were hardly surprising either, nor was the increased strength and endurance far beyond a normal human being. His face burning off into a flaming skull, however, that was definitely a shock.

Of course, he wasn't the only one. For a brief moment, absolutely everyone had stopped fighting at the sight, with Felix's "what the fuck" more or less an echo of what the Commander was thinking.

Master Katarn was the first to break out of his stupor, once again unleashing streams of Force Lightning at the demon. But the Ghost Rider completely ignored it now, before closing the distance and backhanding Kyle, sending him flying.

"Okay..." Garrus whispered. "I was not expecting that."

"I see why they wanted us to stay out of his way." Ashley murmured, her voice trembling.

The shields shifted a moment later, forcing a squad of UNSC ODSTs, a squad of Stormtroopers and a Banished lance into the same confined space as the Rider. The UNSC and First Order troops immediately opened fire on the demon, and the Banished warriors followed suit a second later.

They might as well have been throwing spitballs.

The Ghost Rider weathered the barrage, feeling absolutely no pain as blaster bolts, bullets, plasma, explosives and more impacted him. Ignoring everything, he lashed out with his chain, driving the flaming metal right through a stormtrooper's chest.

A Jiralhanae Warlord leapt at the monstrous demon and struck at it with his gravity hammer. But the Rider caught it in mid-swing and punched the Brute in the chest with his other hand. The demon's fist went right through the shields, armor and flesh as if it were made of paper.

The Warlord would've attempted to fight on regardless, if not for the flames crawling up his body. Mercifully brief screams were cut out as the Brute, armor and all disintegrated into ash.

With the large Brute dead, it didn't take long for the rest to fall, as a couple swings of the chain brought down the rest of the Brutes. The ODSTs and Stormtroopers didn't fare any better.

Then the shields shifted again.

...

It was supposed to be a simple task: retrieve this Spirit Generator for the UNSC. The Spartans of Fireteam Majestic had been fairly confident that they could succeed in this, one way or another. With Madsen and Hoya guarding the ships, it was just Thorne, Ray and Grant down here, which should've been enough to handle what might've come from the Shadow Collective or First Order.

They were not prepared to fight what could only be a literal demon, as the flaming skull entity easily tossed them around, the confinement of these malfunctioning force fields forcing them into close combat with the Ghost Rider.

Not that getting any distance would likely do much: the Rider just ignored any bullets or hard light shot at it, which didn't even damage the demon's clothes (idly, Thorne noted how weird that was), while that flaming chain easily carved through Mjolnir armor.

Grant had already been dealt with, the Spartan-IV lying moaning on the floor. The Ghost Rider now hurled Ray in the air, where the armored woman slammed into one of the shields before sliding down.

This allowed Thorne to close the gap, and with no other recourse, engaged the flaming skeleton in hand to hand combat. Surprisingly, this worked better than he initially expected, as the Ghost Rider wasn't much faster than a normal human, which still paled to a Spartan.

Unfortunately, Thorne's blows barely made the creature budge, and the Rider managed to retaliate with its chain, which wrapped around Thorne's leg. The force fields shifted again, leaving Thorne at the mercy of the demon, who kept punching his head, denting the helmet and actually cracking the visor with a single punch.

Suddenly, two blood-red energy prongs emerged from the Ghost Rider's chest, and it looked down in surprise, then the skull shifted to an expression of annoyance. The Rider lashed out, it's hand grabbing the Spec Ops Elite holding the sword and burning the alien to ash.

The Ghost Rider tossed Thorne aside before reaching out and pulling the energy sword out of his back. The demon held the energy blade and in defiance of all logic and sense (which admittedly summed up this being rather well), the red energy blades were suddenly wreathed in orange flame.

The Ghost Rider hurled the flaming blood blade at a Blood Pack Krogan, the energy blade piercing him with ease while the fire burned the reptilian alien from the inside out. The shields suddenly shifted again, trapping the Ghost Rider with a bunch of terrified Grunts and mercenaries.

With a frenzied and terrified battle cry, one mercenary charged forward, which actually rallied the rest to do the same. Unfortunately for them, this was when the Rider's patience ran out.

The gathering exploded in a blaze of flame, shattering the shield barrier that boxed them in. All the Collective and Banished fell screaming, but the Ghost Rider merely walked out of the inferno. No one wanted to fight him after that.

...

Unlike those that had just died, Locus was not stupid enough to go into a fight he couldn't win. Instead, the mercenary had cloaked off to the side, relatively sure that he wouldn't be seen.

At least until the demon's eyes turned toward him.

Locus was not a superstitious person, but right now, in front of this monster, he felt as if those flaming eyes were staring straight into his soul. Then abruptly, the Ghost Rider turned away from him.

The fiery explosion had finally disabled the fluctuating force fields, leaving the path all but clear to the artifact. However, no one was in any hurry to get to the stage, not after seeing what had happened.

Meanwhile, the ones who had actually made it to the device first had been Wraith Squadron, one of whom, Trey Courser, had managed to deactivate the shielding that kept one from just taking the generator.

They didn't have long to celebrate, as Inferno Squadron had stormed the stage as well, beginning yet another firefight, and forcing the Wraiths back in surprise. While Iden and Del kept up the suppressing fire, Hask moved forward and took the device from its pedestal.

"Package secure." Hask said. "Now let's go before-AHH!"

Ghost Rider's chain wrapped the arm holding the artifact, burning right through the armor as the demon pulled his arm. In pain, Gideon dropped the relic and it went skidding across the floor. The Rider whipped Hask into his two colleagues before turning for his prize.

Unfortunately, the one Asari Spectre had already retrieved it, using her biotic charge to put herself out of range of the flaming chain that followed her. A lot of attention turned her way when they saw she had the artifact, and she put up a barrier to protect herself from the incoming fire. That was the moment a grappling hook grabbed the artifact, pulling it away from her.

"Thanks for the help." Felix mocked, then his smug tone vanished as a sound became noticeable. "Oh shit."

The Hell Charger drove into the mercenary, who barely had enough time to get his hard light shield up before he was sent flying, the artifact slipping from his fingers. The archaic vehicle continued its rampage, running down the mercs and thugs with the misfortune of being in its path while its driver made a beeline for his prize.

At this point, no one was foolish enough to get in the Ghost Rider's way, but unfortunately, a new problem reared its head. A stray plasma grenade landed a foot away from the artifact.

The resulting detonation shook the statue as it glowed as bright as a star, before dozens of spirits emerged from their cage in all shapes and sizes. The one thing they all had in common was that all of them looked furious.

"YOU DARE IMPRISON US!" One spirit shouted.

A new form of chaos erupted, as all the factions now found themselves at the mercy of the spirits. A number of them had simply decided to flee, wanting nothing more to do with this, while still others attacked.

Some unleashed energy blasts, others mutated the living on contact, and still others simply possessed individuals before turning their weapons on either their comrades or themselves.

The latter of which was what Sabine Wren had to deal with: she had been fighting a pair of Death Watch Mandalorians, ignoring their calls of her being a traitor before a green Nightsister spirit possessed one of the super commandos, gunning down the his partner before turning the blaster on himself. The spirit then noticed her.

"You will be mine, child!" It grinned and slowly approached.

Blaster bolts passed through the Nightsister spirit with no effect as the spirit slowly closed in, delighting in Sabine's terror at the futility of it all. Her sadistic grin was wiped from her face when a flaming chain wrapped around the spirit's waist as if it was solid.

"WHAT?!"

The Nightsister turned to see the flaming visage of the Ghost Rider holding the metal, looking at her with no emotion. The Nightsister by contrast, screamed in terror and desperately attempted to escape the flames consuming her, but it was all for naught.

The demon pulled on the chain, seemingly slicing the ghost in half and causing both sections to burn up until they were nothing but ash. Sabine turned her weapons at the Rider, half-expecting it to lash out at her next but it had already moved away, disinterested.

After that display, the few spirits that were still around quickly made themselves scarce. And many of the remaining soldiers from all sides quickly followed suit, leaving the Ghost Rider free to grab the artifact.

The Hell Charger drove up to the demon rider, who threw the statue into the passenger seat of the car before walking to the other side. He got halfway to the driver door when the demon casually whipped its chain at the air next to the passenger seat, slicing through Felix's armor as his cloaking deactivated from the damage and he subsequently screamed in pain.

The merc lay bleeding from his failed attempt to grab the artifact, coughing up his own blood as the Rider entered his vehicle. None of the remaining individuals even attempted to stop the Ghost Rider as he drove off through the same hole he had come through, the tires and engine block flaming as they moved.

At this point, they all began evacuating, some still unleashing potshots or suppressing fire to cover their escape. The IDA and First Order forces made the effort to evacuate as many of the wounded as possible, while most of the Shadow Collective could barely be bothered, the only exception being Locus, who aided Felix in getting out of there.

...

"Someone get airborne and track that vehicle!"

That had come through the comm channel a minute ago, on all IDA frequencies. Before Hera could even ask what they were talking about, she saw a black flaming car drive past, with what seemed to be a flaming skeleton in the driver's seat.

After blinking and shaking her head to try to confirm what she had seen, the Twi'lek quickly entered the Ghost and launched the freighter, with Cortez's shuttle and a Pelican following close behind.

Despite the vehicle's unnatural speed over the rocky terrain, it wasn't difficult for the ships to keep up with it. The UNSC must've sent different instructions, as the Pelican opened fire with its chin mounted autocannon, but the rounds had absolutely no effect on the frame. Same with the following Spartan laser beam.

Still, the car wasn't about to escape their sight. That was what Hera thought, at least until a circle of fire appeared in the path in front of the Charger, creating a portal into darkness. The Charger entered into vortex, which vanished without a trace.

"We lost him." Cortez reported over the radio. "That... thing entered some kind of portal."

"Acknowledged." Came the gruff reply. "Get back here immediately."

"Understood." Hera brought the ship around, then Chopper hooted a question. "I don't know what that was about." Hera sighed. "Hopefully the others will."

* * *

While the criminal and paramilitary organization retreated, the IDA stayed behind to pick over the compound. Shepard and his crew were among them, beginning a preliminary investigation of this strange man who had seemingly just appeared out of nowhere to sell an extremely powerful artifact.

More were wondering just what the hell had attacked the auction and where this Ghost Rider went. Shepard had kept silent on that, partially out of respect for the Republic, but mainly because they had no idea either.

The Jedi were worried, especially with all the spirits loose and the flaming demon gone, but there was really nothing they could do. Granted, Kanan and Ezra admitted that they were more relieved that the ghosts had been freed from their prison. Now it was just a matter of learning about who had built it.

Most of the search proved fruitless: any data logs had been wiped clean and there was really nothing to indicate who built this place and why. However, when Garrus entered the man's living quarters, he was surprised by what he found.

The room was almost like a monastery: there were hardly any personal possessions to be found here, and for a guy who was apparently loaded, the living room and bed lacked a lot of creature comforts.

Garrus inspected the area regardless, trying to find any clues he could. The only thing that seemed out of place was a small stone coin, which had a sigil of a flower painted in red. A memory clicked in Garrus' mind.

...

 _"You're a firebender." The man said conversationally as he pulled the chain off his body and let it fall to the floor. "I'm surprised the Red Lotus would be trusted enough for something like this."_

...

"The Red Lotus." Garrus muttered, testing the name.

Clearly the name of a group, one which he had never heard of. Though considering the 'Ghost Rider's' words, it was likely that the Republic and Separatists knew more than they let on.

As Garrus ran his hands over the wall, he paused, feeling a distinct impression left in the metal that shouldn't have been there. Gently pressing on the disturbance, he found that it opened quite easily, and his eyes widened at what was inside.

"Shepard, you need to get over here." Garrus said over his omni-tool. "I think I found something."

When the Commander arrived, he paused in the doorway, staring at the small statue in Garrus' hand. It was black, covered in red symbols that almost seemed to glow, and the stone it was carved in tapered in two separate points at the top.

"Is that what I think it is?" Garrus nodded and put the small model down.

"Looks like our seller was a Unitologist."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. Honestly, I'll probably have more of the aftermath scenes next chapter, especially the reaction everyone will have to hearing about the appearance of the Ghost Rider.**

 **Speaking of which, I hope everyone enjoyed his presence in this story. Unfortunately, that is going to be his only major appearance in Shadow of Order, so don't expect him to return any time soon.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	10. Aftermath

**Now, it's time for the next chapter of Shadow of Order, in this case mostly dealing with the aftermath of the previous one. So, last chapter will likely be the extent of the Ghost Rider's appearance in this story, but it will have a lingering impact, like I said.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, or anything else that appears in this chapter.**

* * *

In the aftermath of the Ghost Rider's attack, the IDA had recovered all the survivors of the chaotic battle. They had been evacuated to a nearby medical ship, with Master Kyle Katarn looking over the wounded.

Many were lucky to have survived. Of course, that was more than could be said for those attacked by the flaming skeleton. Whatever fire it had used was not natural, as those suffering from its wounds found they could not be healed.

Bacta, Kolto, Medi-gel, natural regenerative abilities, nanotechnology: None of it could permanently fix the damage as it either had no effect, or the wound quickly reopened after being closed. Even efforts by Jedi healers were all for naught. Many of the 'survivors' died in a lot of pain.

Strangely enough, there were some soldiers that had been injured by this 'Ghost Rider,' who were able to be treated with no lasting damage. Why the demon had spared them, Kyle could only speculate. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he had survived either.

Of course, it didn't help matters that survivors of the Shadow Collective and Banished had been in the 'not healing damage' category, meaning they couldn't question them to find out what they knew.

More alarming however, was in regards to the few First Order stormtroopers they had recovered: from what they could tell, there were clones among them, specifically Spaarti-bred creations. It would explain how the First Order suddenly seemed to have a much larger military force in such a short time.

This information had been passed onto the right people in the Galactic Alliance, who promised to investigate the matter. However, most of the focus from the GA and the Jedi was on this Ghost Rider.

Facial recognition had come up empty, which Master Katarn honestly wasn't surprised by at this point. However, it was what he was that unnerved the Jedi, which is to say, they really had no clue as to what he was.

The initial guess by the Jedi had been some sort of Sith creation, but that idea had quickly been refuted: despite his power, Kyle and the rest had felt no actual trace of the Dark Side in him, though the fact that they had felt two distinct presences in one body made it pretty clear that he was possessed by something.

They considered other known spirits, but that theory was hesitantly discarded as well. It truly was like nothing the Jedi had ever encountered before, and that was what was so alarming, along with the question of what he wanted with the Spirit Generator.

There was one thing Kyle did know: watching a man's flesh burn off down to his skeleton, seeing those piercing fire eyes staring at him, feeling like it was looking right into his soul, seeing another spirit get turned to ash.

Those images would be haunting his nightmares.

...

"BB, what exactly am I looking at?"

"I... honestly don't know Admiral." Black Box was definitely unnerved about this; it was obvious in his voice.

They were watching the footage from the disastrous spirit generator auction, specifically through the cameras of Spartan team Majestic as they fought against the flaming skeleton of this so called Ghost Rider.

Specifically how badly they had lost against this demonic being. Osman knew that contrary to UNSC propaganda, the Spartans were not invincible demigods of war, and she knew that beings existed in the multiverse who could take them down with ease.

Of course, it wasn't a comforting feeling when it did happen, especially since Majestic was hardly the worst Spartan fireteam in the UNSC. No, what had Osman concerned was what was causing the beatdown: something that could only be described as demonic effortlessly tore through the Spartans, having already taken on three Jedi.

There was really only one thought in Osman's mind in that moment.

"I hate magic."

"That's the 132nd time you've said that." BB noted idly. "Not that I can say I disagree. Magic is really the only possible explanation for what he can do."

"Which means that once again, we really have no idea who this guy is." Osman sighed. Ever since the multiverse opened up, their universe had had a difficult time getting used to the idea that magic truly existed, and to this day, it still gave her a headache every time she thought about it.

"No we don't." BB agreed. "But I think we can hazard a guess that the Republic and Separatists may know more than they let on."

"That's a sucker's bet." Osman frowned. "But it's not like we can get the answer just by asking them." At that moment, a chime emerged from her console.

"It appears that your meeting with Lord Hood has been rescheduled." BB reported. "It seems that these latest events are going to require some explanation."

That was an understatement: Fleet Admiral Hood had called her up to report in person on ONI's recent activities. She was already on thin ice as it was, and she had to be very careful about what she did next.

"Keep working on this." Serin sighed again as she stood up from her desk. "I want a full report once I return."

"Understood, Admiral." BB logged out.

* * *

Onboard the First Order medical ship, Iden Versio and Del Meeko walked through the halls to get to the medbay as quickly as possible. After giving their full report on what happened at the auction, the two soldiers only had their comrade in mind.

He had been taken to a bacta tank as soon as they had left, where no visitors were allowed. By the time they had finished their preliminary report, he had been moved to a more dedicated facility, which was where they were headed now.

With her command authentications, the two managed to enter the observation wing, where Hask was lying on a bed out of the bacta tank. Strangely, his arm was still wrapped in bandages, even after a bacta bath.

"You are not supposed to be here." They turned to see a 2-1B med droid at a control console. "Identify yourselves."

"We're Inferno Squad." Iden replied. "We're checking in on Gideon Hask: how is he?"

"His condition is stable for the moment." The 2-1B said. "But we will need to amputate his arm."

"What?"

"Why would you do that?" Iden asked incredulously. "It was just a burn!"

"A burn that won't heal." The droid replied. "We've tried bacta but the wound kept reopening. I am at a loss to explain this."

"Does that really require removing his arm?" Del retorted.

"Regrettably yes." The droid said simply. "Such an injury cannot be allowed to remain. He was one of the more fortunate ones."

Angered, the two members of Inferno Squad left, to see for themselves just how badly the other survivors had fared. As they looked deeper into the medical bay, Iden and Del realized that Hask had indeed been lucky. The other troopers who had attempted to fight the skeleton had suffered far more serious wounds.

One stormtrooper had been impaled in the stomach by the Rider's fiery chain, which wasn't immediately fatal, but the blood just kept spilling out. Any treatment didn't stop the bleeding for long and indeed he soon expired right in front of them.

Another stormtrooper had been slashed by the chain, crumbling the armor and leaving shrapnel deep in the wound. They walked by the screaming man, now coming across the bodies of those who had already succumbed to their injuries.

There were quite a few of them. As Iden looked around, she felt her blood go cold at the implications. Whatever they had dealt with was beyond Jedi or Sith, or any known form of magic for that matter.

"What was that... thing?"

...

"That thing," Maul answered. "was almost certainly one of the Republic or Separatist superpowered lap dogs."

The Sith and his brother were standing on the deck of Afterlife, with the hologram of Atriox present alongside Laccabeus and Locus, with Felix apparently having been severely wounded by whatever had attacked them.

A screen off to the side was running a hologram of the individual in question, a being with his skull on fire and a flaming chain in his hand. There wasn't much that could shake the two brothers after their time with the Gravemind, but this came very close.

"I've fought some of their agents before." Laccabeus interjected. "Neither of them were like this."

"You've seen very little." Savage spoke up. "They have many dangerous operatives to call upon, some who could easily destroy a fleet by themselves."

"It's fortunate then, that his goal was only the Generator." If Atriox was in any way affected by this news, he didn't show it, his voice and expression remaining neutral. "It seems clear that he only attacked anyone in his way."

"What if it comes back?" Locus pointed out, his tone low. "And why would the superpowers send this Ghost Rider in the first place?"

"Apparently, they desired the Spirit Generator more than we thought." Savage replied.

"It hardly matters what their goal was." Maul said, trying to shake the fear that he might be wrong. "Whatever the reason, it's clear that they were not after our forces."

"For now." Laccabeus crossed his arms. "We still lost too many warriors to that creature, and most of the wounded had to be left behind."

"We were only able to recover Felix." Locus said quietly, more to himself than the others. "His condition is... critical."

"Unfortunate." Maul said simply, Locus giving a brief glare in his direction. "Bring him back, we will treat his wounds however we can."

"Understood." Locus said after a moment and cut the link. With a brief nod to Atriox, Laccabeus did the same.

"You have never seen this being before?" Atriox's hologram turned to the two brothers.

"No." Maul hesitantly shook his head. "We were never given the chance to learn of all these 'superheroes' or 'supervillains'."

"This is a complication." Atriox admitted reluctantly.

He had heard the stories of the Republic and Separatist leaders and what they were capable of, not to mention the rumors of other powered beings on the sides of the multiversal superpowers, but this was the first time he'd actually seen just what that could mean.

This kind of power was something his Banished forces had no defense against, nor the rest of the IDA for that matter. The obvious solution was to gain superpowered individuals of their own, but that would likely lead to an arms race that they couldn't match.

To top it all off, the Republic and Separatists were obviously not keen on revealing just how or where these people came from or came to be. The only one that had some resemblance was this Atmos world Laccabeus had mentioned, but it clearly wasn't the same power (not to mention that said world was completely inaccessible to them now).

"Fortunately, the most powerful of their allies don't really leave their own territory unless they're asked to." Atriox shook out of his thoughts as Maul spoke up. "And with the two of them still in conflict with the Flood, it's unlikely they'll come for us." The Sith repeated. "Our objectives have not changed."

"Agreed." Atriox finally said. "And I suppose that we didn't lose much in the grand scheme of things."

"Precisely." Maul nodded. "We can still proceed as planned."

* * *

Snoke, Hux, Vestara and Zane all watched the holo-recordings of the Ghost Rider tearing through their forces with ease, the latter two quite thankful that they had been too occupied with other assignments to go to the auction themselves.

Watching several Jedi and Spartans fall to this entity made it abundantly clear to the two that this demon was well out of their league. Snoke and Hux meanwhile, were more concerned with what this could mean for their forces.

"Are you sure that he was just after the Spirit Generator?" Snoke asked, as Phasma's hologram crossed her arms.

"Reasonably sure." The chrome armored captain hesitantly answered. "Everything we saw seems to indicate that he was just here for the Spirit Generator. As soon as he had it, he left."

"It could be a trick." Hux interjected. "Some form of ruse meant to deceive us."

"To what end?" Vestara spoke up. "What would be the point of doing this?"

"Let alone, why would he care?" Ilsa nodded. "If he is working for the Republic or Separatists like we believe, then surely the Shadow Collective would be a bigger priority."

"We still need to know more about this." Hux crossed his arms. "We're fumbling in the dark while the two superpowers are the ones casting the shadow."

"I agree." Snoke raised his hand to forestall any protest. "But we cannot be so focused on this one snag that we ignore our other plans." He leaned closer to Phasma's hologram. "Captain, bring the survivors home. Treat them however you can but don't waste your efforts on lost causes. The rest of you still have your assignments. This setback will not impact the next phase of our plans." He waved his hand in a dismissal, which the others quickly caught on to."

Once Phasma's hologram vanished and the other three left, Snoke sat alone with his thoughts. Their trip to Atmos and their conflict with those Republic agents had shown them power beyond what was once thought possible to possess, but it was clear that they still knew very little.

And in regards to matters on the home front, it was also clear that the Supreme Leader would eventually have some cleaning to do. Daala's support had been invaluable, but it was all but inevitable she would become a liability. Already she was asking awkward questions about things like Cerberus and what their endgame was.

A flash of inspiration struck him as he turned back to the holoprojector on his desk, keying up the holographic heads of Darth Maul and Atriox, the symbols of their organizations floating beside them.

Maybe there was a way to deal with both of these new problems.

...

Unlike many others who had been at that auction, Shepard and his crew weren't as shell-shocked about the Ghost Rider as others no doubt were. Partially because the Republic had warned of his coming in advance, but mostly because they already knew of beings like this Ghost Rider thanks to their liaison with the Wests last year.

Granted, the fact that the Ghost Rider hadn't been mentioned by Wally and Artemis meant that he may not be from their universe, but Shepard could guess that their Earth was hardly the only one with superheroes and villains that the Republic and Separatists knew about.

No, what worried Shepard was what they had found in Crimson Flower's bunker: the fact that he too had superpowers was less important than the pretty clear evidence that the man had been a Unitologist.

Whether the Republic or Separatists had known about this was up for debate, but it was becoming clear that the Flood's reach was beginning to get a little too close for comfort.

"Uh, Commander." Joker's voice spoke into his ear comm. "The Council is on the line and they want to talk to you, Ash and Garrus."

"Tell them I'm on my way." Shepard sighed as he headed for the elevator. He really wasn't looking forward to this.

In many ways, the New Citadel Council was actually worse than the old one: Irissa, the new asari councilor was much more cutthroat and ruthless than Tevos, while Esheel was more callous than Valern had been. Granted it wasn't all bad.

By contrast, Quentius was a breath of fresh air compared to Sparatus, and Dominic Osoba was the one who had retained his seat on the Council, and the two had actually gotten along quite well.

Still, the Council no doubt just wanted knowledge on the Ghost Rider. Hopefully, he could get them to focus on the fact that Crimson Flower had been a Unitologist. Exiting the elevator to the CIC, the Commander made his way to the War Room, where Garrus and Ashley were already waiting.

"So we're all here." Ashley said with a sigh. "Now we just have to talk to the Council about a man with a flaming skull."

"Do you remember when our lives used to make sense?" Garrus asked abruptly. The three of them looked at each other.

"No."

"Nope."

"Yeah, me neither." The Turian sighed.

...

Locus sat in the hospital waiting room, looking through the observation window. Felix was floating in a bacta tank, letting the healing liquid seep into his wounds in an effort to heal the damage he had suffered.

Unfortunately, it was becoming clear that whatever fire that Ghost Rider had used, it wasn't normal flame, as the wound refused to close and Felix kept thrashing around in pain.

Locus... didn't know how to feel about the genuine prospect that Felix might die. On one hand, he had always hated his fellow mercenary, but on the other hand, the two of them had survived so much while working together.

To lose him now, after everything they'd been through, left him feeling torn. Unfortunately, it appeared that it was inevitable now, as Felix's thrashing movements slowed while the doctors worked in an effort to stabilize him.

...

 _"Don't let me die." Felix coughed as Locus helped him limp through the still chaotic firefight. "Don't you dare let me die!"_

 _"Keep moving." His partner replied, and soon the two approached the exit that they had initially come through._

 _"Locus." The green and grey armored mercenary turned to his partner, taking closer look at the blood still pouring out of his armor. His tone was all but begging. "Please."_

...

The sound of the heart monitor flat lining drew the soldier from his memory, as Felix's form went still in the bacta tank. A brief glance at the doctors all but extinguished any hope of Isaac Gates being revived, and they called the time of death.

Locus just stared at the body of his partner, his own body now feeling numb.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. I know it wasn't exactly much, but given the last three chapters were all but completely filled with action, this was a good place to put a breather episode in. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, but hopefully sooner rather than later.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	11. Uncertain Meeting

**And now we begin with the next chapter. After the last two chapters, the story will now start getting back on track, and where it goes next... well that might surprise you.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect or any other franchise that appears in this story.**

* * *

Natasi Daala walked through the halls of Starkiller Base, her mood increasingly frosty today. Her failure to secure the support of Boba Fett and the Mandalorians hadn't exactly endeared her to Supreme Leader Snoke and his underlings.

Which was just as well, as her own knowledge of what the First Order was doing hadn't thrilled her either. The cloning operation on this planet was already questionable, as it had been during and after the Clone Wars, but then there were the rumors of the First Order's alliance with Cerberus.

From what she had heard of that human-supremacist organization, even the Empire at its height would've been unwilling to work with them. The atrocities they'd committed were unforgivable, and if it got out that the First Order was truly working with them, it could cost them all the goodwill they had managed to gain.

After getting scanned by the guards outside, she strolled into the Supreme Leader's office, where Hux and Snoke were already in discussion, which paused when they noticed her arrival.

"Admiral, what an unexpected surprise." The Supreme Leader said, his eyes narrowing. "To what do I owe this interruption?"

"We need to talk about Cerberus." Daala crossed her arms. "Specifically the rumors I've been hearing that you're in an alliance with them."

"And where did you hear that?" Hux growled, his glare hard enough to penetrate durasteel. "What makes these rumors so important that you'd barge in here unannounced?"

"Because they're more than just rumors, aren't they?" Daala's eyes narrowed. "I've found communication logs where you've been speaking with the Illusive Man. Care to explain that?" Hux moved to speak again, but Snoke raised his hand to cut him off.

"I suppose this was inevitable." The Supreme Leader sighed. "It would explain what you were doing after the Mandalorians told you to piss off."

"Don't change the subject." The ex-Chief of State snapped. "Cloning an army like this is bad enough, but working with monsters like Cerberus? You're becoming dangerously close to becoming the next Palpatine."

"Funny." Snoke chuckled. "And I thought you still preferred his methods, even when you were head of the Galactic Alliance. It certainly would explain your more reckless actions." He could see Daala's anger growing with each word, but spoke again before she could cut loose. "To answer your question, yes, I've worked with Cerberus. But as a means to an end, nothing more."

"So you're just fine leaving them loose in the multiverse?" The ex-Admiral asked incredulously.

"Of course not." He activated the holoprojector, producing a recording of Vestara's 'interrogation' with the Illusive Man. "Which is why I had Vestara and Inferno Squadron infiltrate his base and execute them. Without a leader, Cerberus will no longer be a problem." He of course neglected to mention ONI's involvement, or the fact that he still had control over the remaining Cerberus cells.

"You should have told me sooner." Daala said after a moment. "If our current supporters find out about this, then we will lose their help very quickly."

"Duly noted." Snoke said, crossing his arms. "Now if you'll excuse us, we were in the middle of a private meeting." Daala paused, then turned on her heel and left.

The two First Order leaders watched as Daala left the room, then Snoke made sure to activate the privacy enhancers. "If she didn't like that, then she's really not going to like this next plan." Snoke murmured, reactivating the screen he had shut down earlier.

"I'm afraid I'd have to agree with that stance." Hux admitted. "I agree that she needs to be... 'retired,' but this?" He gestured to the hologram. "This is unwise, Supreme Leader."

"Perhaps." Snoke admitted. "But unwise or not, we could use the aid. Even with our current support, the largest factions in the IDA are still beyond us."

"And an alliance with _them_ won't change that." The General countered. "Even if they were enough, I sincerely doubt that they'll be willing to share power."

"We can deal with that when it comes." Snoke replied. "But you know the saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' We cannot afford such a pointless conflict if we are to obtain dominion over the multiverse."

"They may not be so willing to join." Hux said, knowing he had lost the first part of that argument. "Especially if Phasma's report as true. He clearly hasn't gotten over our conflict."

"And yet, Laccabeus is working with the Shadow Collective." The Supreme Leader said. "Surely, he can put his grudge aside for that much."

"I hope you're right." Hux sighed. "Still, if we ally ourselves with them, we must move carefully. Being seen openly colluding with those two factions will erode our support."

"Agreed." Snoke nodded. "Then I suppose it's settled." He stood up. "The First Order will ally with the Shadow Collective and the Banished."

* * *

The world of Syni IV was a fairly quiet world these days. It's history was unremarkable, having not seen any major conflict since the time of the Empire. Unfortunately for the inhabitants, that changed today.

Screaming rent the air as dozens of missiles impacted their lines. Several buildings collapsed from the blasts, while survivors stumbled out from the wreckage, some of whom began digging our more.

Unfortunately, many of them were caught in the blast of the plasma mortar volley, further damaging the city. Galactic Alliance troops were forced to retreat even further as the combined Banished and Shadow Collective forces began to overwhelm them.

The two factions had gotten bolder, that much was clear. Of course, it wasn't like they could expect reinforcements any time soon. Technically speaking, this world wasn't part of the GA, given its location in Wild Space.

The colonists of this world were rather individualistic, refusing to join the New Republic due to their experiences with the Galactic Empire. Despite this, the New Republic and later Galactic Alliance kept their relationship civil, allowing them to keep their independence.

A minor embassy had been created on the planet, but ultimately the world didn't have much value, and only a token security force was present. Which was why it was perplexing when a large force of the Banished and Shadow Collective attacked without warning.

They landed outside the capital city, having easily broken through the local defense fleet and satellite defenses. With such a large and unexpected attack, the militia was caught with their pants down, and suffered heavily from the resulting artillery bombardment.

The few GA soldiers on planet did what they could to rally the militia against such a ruthless assault, but now the airstrikes were beginning, as the scream of Banshees and the roar of bombers echoed through the air, plasma and explosives shelling the ruins even further.

With such chaos, it allowed the two criminal factions to approach, with a Mobile Pulse Cannon shattering what little defensive walls remained even further. This allowed Wraith Invaders and F9-TZ transports to enter, bringing troops into the walls of the city.

Dropships further allowed this invasion to commence, deploying more armor and infantry as the Shadow Collective and Banished hammered their way through the civilian populace.

However, what most didn't realize was that the allied factions were searching for something, with a Defiler and Pavium taking their own squads with them as the rest of their forces crippled the city.

Soon, they arrived at the location they were seeking: an old office building that had once been used by Imperial forces as a temporary headquarters. Pavium turned to the Defiler with a questioning look.

"This is the location." The red armored soldier lowered the scanner. "The signal's coming from two hundred meters below."

"Well then." Pavium launched a grenade at the locked door, blasting it open. "Let's see what's inside."

The two platoons began tearing the building apart, looking for the way to get to what they sought. The signal in question was what had drawn them here in the first place, as a message had been sent to the two criminal organizations, completely encrypted with only the text: "We need to talk."

It didn't take long for them to trace the location, but it was clear that someone was merely using this location as a comms relay. Of course, the allied forces could've probably sent a covert operative to find their way without tearing this planet's civilization apart, but Atriox and Maul saw this attack as a way to divide the GA even further, spreading their forces thin as they rushed to the rescue, by which point, they'd be long gone.

Eventually, one of the Banished Huragok had located the elevator that led to the signal. Scouts were immediately sent down first in case it was a trap, but fortunately that wasn't the case.

The soldiers entered into what could only be an old Imperial era bunker, hidden even after all these years. The place had been ransacked, with equipment removed from their racks and lockers empty, leaving little clue as to the bunker's original purpose.

What was left was a computer, looking slightly newer and less dusty than it should've been. When the Defiler and Pavium got a closer look, they could see that the signal connected to an old hidden comm relay, which encrypted the signal it transmitted. Here however, they could decode it, and once they did, two sets of eyes widened.

"Contact Lord Maul..." Pavium's eyes narrowed. "And Atriox." The Defiler hastily amended. "They're going to want to hear about this."

* * *

Once more, the heads of both factions had met up in a simple camp, this one set up near a Shadow Collective outpost. Omega hovered in orbit, relaying the signal that Pavium and the accompanying Defiler had found.

It was surprising to say the least. The First Order wished to ally with the two criminal factions, with Snoke's frequency given for them to contact. Laccabeus in particular had been adamant against such an alliance, which wasn't exactly an isolated sentiment.

"I don't trust them." Savage said bluntly. "Snoke seeks to use us for his own ends."

"That much is clear." Atriox nodded. "But we can also use the First Order for our own gain."

"Indeed." Maul turned away. "If we play this right, we can force the First Order to follow our whims."

"So we're going to contact them?" Laccabeus asked incredulously. "You can't seriously think that this a good idea."

"Mind your tongue Shipmaster." Atriox snarled, fixing Laccabeus with a glare. "Lest I decide to remove it." Laccabeus met the Banished leader's stare, but ultimately refrained from speaking further.

"Excellent, then we are agreed." Maul said, with a small smirk at the altercation. "I suppose we shouldn't keep them waiting."

...

Meanwhile, Vestara Khai and Captain Phasma walked into the First Order's private ready room, with General Hux and Supreme Leader Snoke already present and waiting. Unsurprisingly, Daala and Ilsa Zane were missing, meaning it was mainly the First Order's business.

Vestara inwardly paused at that train of thought. Technically speaking she wasn't actually a member of the First Order, and yet... where else would she turn to. At that moment, it occurred to the Sith just how alone she was.

All the other Sith Orders had been wiped, with the Lost Tribe and the One Sith having been destroyed during the Great Flood War. Oh there was still Maul and his brother, technically the last surviving members of the Order of the Sith Lords, but it was clear that those two were barely as capable as Darth Sidious had been.

She realized just how much she owed to the First Order, and how lost she'd be without it. She couldn't go back to the Jedi, it just wasn't in her nature, and Ben would never leave the Jedi, for the same reason she could never leave the Dark Side behind.

But now, she followed the whims of someone who wasn't a powerful Force user, which would be the ultimate indignity to many Sith. And yet, she didn't have anything else to do herself. Oh, she could try to take control herself, but she had no direction, no idea on how to lead them, let alone a goal to aspire to. And that was assuming she could defeat Snoke, who was no slouch in combat thanks to his training as one of Vader's assassins.

She truly was alone and aimless. She inwardly snorted to herself. How her father would be so disappointed if he could see her now.

"Thank you for coming." Snoke's greeting drew her attention the meeting at hand. "Forgive me for summoning you both on such short notice, but I've chosen a new course of action for the First Order."

"So why do you need us here?" Vestara asked, crossing her arms. "What's so important for us to here if you've already made up your mind?" Snoke gained a small smirk before activating the controls on the holoprojector.

"Vestara," a hologram of Omega appeared. "I believe you're familiar with the phrase 'enemy of my enemy is my friend,' are you not?"

"You want to ally with the Shadow Collective?" Phasma was incredulous. "What could they do for us?"

"Help us fight the IDA." Snoke replied. "Even with all the support we have, trying to take on the major powers would be suicide."

"That won't really change if we do ally with them." Vestara pointed out, unknowingly echoing Hux's arguments from earlier. "Even with his alliance with the Banished, that won't be enough to stop the IDA."

"Not if they're united." Snoke agreed. "But we've seen the cracks, the divisions among them. Hell, we're already profiting off of those divisions. With our combined strength, we'll actually have a chance to take control ourselves."

"It will also make us a bigger target." Phasma pointed out. "Giving the IDA a common enemy to focus their energy on. Not to mention a lot of our support will be lost if we work with them."

"Assuming the IDA knows about it." The Supreme Leader countered, and at that moment, Vestara realized where he was going with this. "If we play our cards right, no one will be any the wiser, and we can use the Shadow Collective and the Banished to terrorize their factions-"

"While the First Order offers and provides security and stability." Vestara finished, nodding in approval. "A good plan."

"And what happens afterward?" Hux interjected, his tone clear that this wasn't the first time he had asked that question. "Neither Maul nor Atriox will bow to our rule, assuming we succeed of course." Snoke opened his mouth to interrupt, but the General wasn't finished. "And even if we are able to placate them or take them over, what about the Republic and Separatists? What do we do about them?"

"As I have told you before, General," Snoke snarled, sending a withering glare in Hux's direction, who actually winced from it. "that is something we will deal with in due time. None of those questions matter if we do not have the means to attain our goals, and to that end, we will be better off with them as our allies, than our enemies."

The holocomm unit signaled an alert, interrupting the argument. It was clear that Maul and Atriox had gotten the message and were already contacting them. Snoke looked at the rest of the First Order leaders with narrowed eyes.

"My decision has been made." He said with a tone of finality. "You may not like it, but this is what will happen. Understood?" Once everyone gave their affirmations, Snoke activated the holoprojector, creating two miniature images of the Banished and Shadow Collective leaders. "Greetings, Atriox, Lord Maul." He inclined his head to each as he spoke. "I take it you have received my offer?"

"An interesting proposal." Maul admitted. "With our combined strength, the IDA could very well fall before us all."

"However," Atriox interjected. "we are not going to blindly agree to such an alliance."

"And what do you propose, Chieftain?"

"A face to face meeting." Maul replied. "A gesture of trust while we discuss the further details of such an alliance."

"And where do you propose we meet?" Snoke asked, a slight feeling of worry crawling up his spine. His expression didn't change however, so he didn't betray his thoughts.

"A world in the Terminus Systems known as Deinech." Maul replied, as the coordinates and file on the world was transmitted. "I have several locations for us to meet at."

"Unacceptable." Phasma interjected, stepping forward angrily. "We will accept a neutral world, nothing else."

"We don't exactly trust you." Atriox gave a low growl. "For all we know, you want to lead us into a trap."

"By all means, bring as much security as you like." Maul said calmly, then his eyes narrowed. "But make no mistake, this will take place in our territory. If you truly desire an alliance, this will be how you prove it."

"Agreed." Snoke said before anyone else could speak up. "Send us the time and location. I will meet you there." The hologram vanished, and seconds later, another transmission came through, detailing the coordinates and time for the meeting.

"Supreme Leader, you're making a mistake." General Hux protested. "We can't just bow to the wishes of these criminals."

"Nor do I intend to." Snoke replied. "This will give them the feeling of control, to think that they hold the cards. It's a necessary sacrifice for the time being." He turned to Vestara and Phasma. "Lady Khai, you shall accompany me to the meeting itself. Captain, you're in charge of the security detail. And bring Zane along. It won't hurt to have a wild card prepared."

"... Understood." Phasma said finally, resigned to this course of action.

"Good. And one more thing: Not a word of this to Daala."

* * *

Several days later, the First Order ships emerged from hyperspace to the outskirts of this system, so as not to startle their hosts or incriminate themselves. It seemed that Darth Maul and Atriox had similar ideas, as Omega and the _Enduring Conviction_ couldn't be seen in orbit. Moments later, multiple shuttles were launched from the Star Destroyers and headed toward the world in question.

Deinech, an ocean world in the Terminus Systems. Small islands were scattered across the planet, and it was constantly monsoon season. The government on this planet didn't exist, consisting of the typical lawlessness one would expect from the Terminus Systems.

Naturally, it was the perfect place for a meeting like this. The Banished and Shadow Collective already had contingency plans in place, specifically the presence of the _Intention's Eye_ , which was concealed near the island they were all meeting on.

The carrier was hidden off shore, just under the water's surface. Laccabeus was sitting on the bridge of the _Eye_ , watching from the screens as they monitored whatever they could.

The assault carrier and its crew had been chosen to be the potential reaction force if things went badly, which the Shipmaster was all but expecting in regards to the First Order. Unfortunately, because of their history with the former PMC, the _Eye's_ crew would only be free to act if Atriox gave the order.

He knew why he hadn't been allowed to partake in the negotiations themselves: his history with the First Order meant that he was a liability to the Banished and the Shadow Collective. It was also why none of his crew members were placed near the actual meeting point. Resigned to his post, Laccabeus sat in his command chair and waited.

...

The meeting point was an old building from the early days of civilization on this world. On the outside, it looked dilapidated, and to some degree it was, but the superficial scars hid the heavily reinforced foundation, and more importantly, the concealed soldiers and vehicles. The First Order pilots could detect some of them, but were drawn from their scans as they approached the landing beacon, which was on the building's roof.

The Lambda shuttle arrived at the private landing pad, and two ranks of Shadow troopers stepped out first, the wind and rain buffeting their armor as they scanned to make sure there were no traps. Once that was done, several Phase I Dark Troopers emerged, followed by Supreme Leader Snoke, Vestara, Captain Phasma and then Ilsa Zane.

Beside them, several other landing craft approached, depositing two companies of Stormtroopers, and one cargo pod, which immediately opened and revealed Snoke's personal Phase III Dark Trooper, which joined the procession.

It didn't take long for them to be led into the building proper, where Maul's forces escorted them to a large conference fit to hold fifty people. Atriox, Darth Maul, Savage Opress, and an assortment of their guards were already waiting.

"Welcome Supreme Leader." The Sith Lord bowed, his expression and movements hiding an undertone of sarcasm. "We are so honored that you would grace us with your presence." Atriox gave a brief snort at that, but the First Order delegation gave no sign of amusement.

"Lord Maul." Supreme Leader Snoke greeted with no emotion. "Thank you for taking the time to meet us. Shall we get started?"

...

For the next hour or so, the leaders of the Shadow Collective, Banished and First Order discussed what they wanted from such an alliance, how they could help each other, and other important aspects.

That's not to say things had been completely calm: there was a moment where Vestara and Maul had gotten into a verbal sniping match over which had been born of the better Sith Order. Vestara's feats of fighting Luke Skywalker and Abeloth hadn't exactly been impressive to the Zabrak who'd kept his will when working for the Gravemind, and eventually Maul mentioned the younger Sith's tryst with Ben Skywalker.

Maul had effortlessly caught Vestara's thrown shikkar with the Force, and after a brief recession where the First Order leaders calmed their Sith down, the meeting continued, albeit a bit more frostily than before.

Still they were making progress and eventually cooler heads prevailed and little by little, an actual alliance slowly began to take shape. They had all but reached their agreements when several blasts rocked the building.

At the explosions, several indignant shouts emerged from both sides, with weapons raised and lightsabers ignited, bathing the room in a red glow. Atriox's mace joined them, but he brought it down on the table, briefly knocking everyone back.

"Enough!" He shouted before further violence could erupt from either side. Activating his comlink, it connected to the bridge of the _Eye_. "Shipmaster, what is going on down there?"

"A large force of mercenaries are laying siege to the building." Laccabeus replied. "They're attacking both our forces, Maul's troops, and the First Order's soldiers."

"Contact your troops." Atriox said to the First Order, ignoring the large Dark Trooper currently pointing its weapons at their side as he spoke to Snoke. "They'll tell you the same thing."

"Of course, they could just be playing innocent." Savage snarkily pointed out. "They could easily regard their little clones as expendable."

"We did not order this." Phasma protested.

"Then this is as good a time as any to prove it." Atriox said, reactivating Chainbreaker and holding the glowing mace closer to his face. "And what better way to baptize our new alliance than in blood?"

...

The soldiers of the Titan Mercenary company took cover around the seemingly abandoned building. The few defenders on the first few floors were already being overwhelmed by both numbers and the firepower from Titan's APCs and LRVs.

"They're pulling back!" Someone shouted, as it became clear that the defenders were retreating further into the building.

"Well, we can't have that." The mercenary field commander stepped out of his APC, his arms crossed. "Get some breaching charges on the doors and flush them out."

"Sir, what about air support?"

"It's still five minutes out." The Titan leader replied. "But let's not give them any more time to fortify themselves, shall we?"

Several squad leaders looked like they wanted to protest, but reluctantly they complied before moving up to breach the doors. The entryways vanished in a flash of debris and smoke, the shock and awe allowing the soldiers to breach with impunity.

At first, it seemed like things were going relatively smoothly: no one reported any sign of major resistance, meaning that they must have pulled back. Then Alpha Team abruptly vanished from sensors, which was when everything went to hell.

"What's happening in there?" The commander asked, the only response he was getting was more screaming. "Captain, report!"

"Some kind of *fzzt*, she's killing *fzzt* fuck she's fast *fzzt* need reinforcem-SHIT!" All that remained was static. And then the news got worse.

"Uh sir, we've got reports from the fighters." The comms officer in the command station reported. "You're going to want to see this!"

...

Once it became clear that the mercenaries outnumbered their current forces, Atriox sent the word to Laccabeus, just in time for a large wing of unknown fighters to pass by overhead.

"Bring us up." Makterbus ordered at Laccabeus' command. "Wipe these vermin from the skies."

The assault carrier rose from the depths of the ocean, like an ancient sea creature rising to the surface. Watery streams fell from its hull, getting caught in the stormy wind and somehow drenching the city even further.

A swarm of Banshees and Phantoms emerged from the _Eye's_ main hanger, easily swarming through the city and attacking the mercenary formations. Screaming and gunfire rent the air, as explosions rocked multiple buildings, mostly caused by crashing fighters.

Just outside the main building, the Titan leader was drawn from his stupor as his army was destroyed, when something leapt out of the fifth floor window, jump jets activating to slow its fall.

It was a massive Dark Trooper, standing in the middle of a small crater. It immediately stood up, with two pairs of three missile pods emerging from its shoulders and a massive assault cannon in its hand.

"Scream and run, or charge stupidly." An annoyed voice emerged from the droid exosuit. "Either way, this isn't going to be pleasant."

The Titan mercenary soldiers chose to fight, which resulted in a dozen seeker missiles targeting the vehicles, with the commander barely able to escape his command post going up in flames.

He struggled to his feet, the ringing in his ears as he saw just how badly his forces were screwed. Four red lightsaber blades emerged from behind the Dark Trooper, their wielders easily carving through his scattered soldiers.

Meanwhile, pinpoint accurate fire from one of the upper floors picked off more of his men and women, each sniper round scoring a headshot every time. As his vision cleared, he staggered to his feet, just in time to see a massive Brute armed with a gravity mace reducing three mercenaries into smears on the ground.

With his army in tatters and panic dripping in his veins, the commander attempted to run, but the large Brute spotted him and he suddenly found himself flying towards him. His head was caught by the Jiralhanae's gauntleted hand, and the combined force caused everything to go black.

...

The battle had ultimately been the easy part of this: it was the aftermath that ended up far more time consuming. The newly formed alliance had been busy removing any witnesses to the their fight together, while other agents were still tracking down the officials who had sold out their location.

Fire and death had swept through this city, the Shadow Collective and Banished doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. Meanwhile, the leaders of both factions were still in the lobby of their meeting point, ready to interrogate the Titan merc leader.

The man whimpered at the sight of the two ruthless Zabraks, and the larger Jiralhanae who towered over them both. A rancid smell split the air when they realized the human had soiled himself. Satisfied that he was sufficiently afraid, Maul telekinetically lifted the leader in the air.

"I know that you did not choose to attack us yourselves." The Sith Lord said. "Tell me, who hired you?"

"I don't know, I don't know!"

"You lie!" Savage's lightsaber ignited and he held the blade closer to the gasping man's head.

"I swear it's the truth!" The leader struggled helplessly against the Force grip. "An anonymous donor offered us a shit ton of money to attack this place. If I had known that you all were here, I'd have never taken this job! Please, please don't kill me!"

"He's telling the truth." Maul said after a moment, with a mild tone of disappointment. "He genuinely has no idea who hired him."

"Unfortunate." Atriox sighed. "Then he has no further value to us."

"Agreed." The Zabrak released his grip and the merc leader fell to the floor, the brief spark of hope in his eyes. It was dashed when Maul said his next words. "Kill him."

Savage brought his lightsaber down and the body effortlessly split in two, causing the remaining prisoners to flinch in shock and terror. One of Atriox's Chosen walked up to his leader, a question on his lips.

"Sir, what do we do with the rest of the prisoners?" Atriox didn't hesitate.

"Execute them all." He turned away and followed the Sith, as flashes of light briefly lit up the dark room.

"We need to learn how they found us." Savage said. "All non-essential personnel were kept in the dark about this meeting."

"It was likely the work of the local officials." Darth Maul said, looking over a datapad. "Someone must've recognized our vessels and believed that they could make use of that information." He turned to one of his nearby Mandalorian super commandos. "Find out who it was. Make them suffer." The Death Watch soldier nodded and left as the Banished leader approached.

"I think the better question is who ordered this attack?" Atriox pointed out. "That's a mystery we need to solve."

"That we all need to solve." They turned to Snoke and his entourage. "I think someone set this up to sabotage any potential alliance."

"Rather sloppily." Maul nodded. "You do have a point. I know your reputation Snoke, and I highly doubt you would do something so arrogant like this."

"And we most certainly would not." Savage continued.

"I suppose," Snoke said slowly. "We have an accord then?" Atriox and Maul looked at each other.

"Yes." The Sith Lord said after a moment. "We have an alliance."

...

Osman sat in her office, smiling at the sight. Everything had been proceeding according to her plan. True, she had lost a fair amount of money given the dead mercenaries, but the end result would still be in her favor.

If the First Order had come out of that meeting in conflict with the Shadow Collective and Banished, then that meant all three factions would be too divided to actually threaten the IDA. If they had actually gone through with their alliance, as was indeed the case here, then she could use them to her own wishes, eventually allowing the UNSC to take them all down in one fell swoop.

Though not everyone agreed with her plan.

"Admiral, are you sure this is wise?" Osman didn't even glance away from the display as Black Box's avatar appeared. "Allowing those three organizations to join together could prove more problematic than it's worth, especially after your last meeting."

"Your concern is noted, BB." Osman finally looked in his direction. "Rest assured we still have contingencies in place. Lord Hood will see the benefit of this soon enough." She turned back to the holoscreen, showing the drone's view on Deinech. If she had turned away a moment later, she would've seen Black Box's avatar flicker for a moment.

"Understood, Admiral." The hologram projection vanished, leaving Osman alone.

...

Outside Osman's office door, two Spartan-IVs stood guard. One of the two discreetly activated his helmet comms, using a frequency and channel that would be almost completely undetectable except to the one receiving the transmission, which consisted of two words.

"It's done."

* * *

 **Alright, and that's the end of this chapter, and the beginning of the combined alliance of the First Banished Collective... or the Banished Shadow Order... don't worry, I won't actually call them that in-universe.**

 **Anyway, things are definitely going according to plan, the only question is who's plan? Well, you'll just have to read on and find out in the rest of the story. Now, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, but hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	12. Political Will

**Well, it's time to start the next chapter, and in this one the Banished Shadow Order will put their alliance to a bit of a test, leaving a considerable impact on things to come. After that... well, I've said enough.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

With this new alliance, Snoke was quite confident in the First Order's odds in seizing power. The Shadow Collective and Banished would drive terrified worlds into the arms of the First Order when the IDA proved unwilling or unable to help them.

Best of all, the focus of the IDA's concern would remain pointed at the two criminal organizations, allowing the First Order to avoid major scrutiny. Of course, there was still one thing that had to be done first.

Daala had proven more cunning than he had previously thought, having somehow learned about his meeting on Deinech. The Supreme Leader still couldn't be sure how much she knew about what had taken place, but it was clear that she needed to be dealt with.

To that end, he had already made a request of Darth Maul to send an assassin after her. He no longer had any use for the former Chief of State, but she had the potential to cost him support.

That just wouldn't do.

...

Daala sat in the cockpit of the shuttle as the blue and white tunnel of hyperspace passed her by. She double checked the systems as she thought over her current course of action.

She knew that she couldn't truly trust Snoke even when he had first met up with her. That feeling was only confirmed when she had learned of his connection to Cerberus and shortly after, he, Phasma, Vestara and Ilsa Zane left on a mission that Hux had refused to elaborate on.

Unfortunately for the General, she had soon discovered Snoke's intentions to ally with the Shadow Collective and Banished from some soldiers discussing that rumor, and pulling information off a fortunately poorly encrypted terminal.

Armed with this knowledge, she had resolved to make her escape, stealing a shuttle and escaping into hyperspace before the First Order could stop her. She had managed to locate and deactivate the tracking beacon, but only used the comm system to send a brief message to Dorvan, revealing that she was coming to Coruscant and had important information that required his attention.

She could've just called him directly and explained the situation, but she honestly had no idea if the First Order had any spies or tampered with the array that could intercept her communications. And even if they didn't, the Shadow Collective and the Banished certainly could have spies that would hear about this.

Ultimately, Daala knew that her actions would put a massive target on her back, but she refused to let that concern her. She was all but guaranteed to be arrested and put in protective custody once she landed, keeping her safe from the expected reprisal at least to some degree. And it was necessary; she refused to be Snoke's pawn any longer.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she exited hyperspace over Coruscant, the glittering lights still easily seen from orbit. It didn't take long for several flights of GA fighters to approach, and a quick message was sent.

"Unidentified ship." A gruff voice came over the comm system. "You have been ordered by the Chief of State's office to proceed to the Senatorial landing pad. We will provide an escort to your destination. Failure to comply will be considered hostile and your ship will be destroyed."

Daala quickly sent her acknowledgements and followed the fighters in, keeping her pace to match the fighters as they flew in formation around her vessel. Soon, they broke through the atmosphere, approaching the Senate building.

...

Hidden in a building several kilometers from the Senate landing pad, Locus stood on top of the roof, using his scanner to check for Daala's tracking frequency. Unbeknownst to the former Chief of State, the First Order had hidden more than one tracking device in the shuttle she had stolen, silently broadcasting her location.

With the knowledge that she was heading for Coruscant, Maul had ordered Locus to smuggle himself in and assassinate the former Admiral when he had an opportunity. Atriox had also loaned out one of his Shroud vehicles, allowing them to remain undetected on the journey to the site in question.

Locus took aim down towards the landing pad, his sniper at the ready. Behind him was one of Maul's super commandos, armor painted up to match the color scheme of Boba Fett. Once Daala was dead, it wouldn't take very long for the Alliance to figure out where the shot came from.

It was in their hopes that having someone to follow would distract the GA while they escaped, as well as make it seem like the Shadow Collective wasn't involved. For the Mandalorian in question, this would almost certainly be a suicide mission, but the man was more than willing to do so. As a member of Death Watch, they still weren't fans of the Fett clan, and screwing them over would definitely work in their favor.

As the green and grey armored merc waited, his mind found itself wandering in spite of his best efforts to stay focused. He had always hated Felix, ever since they fought together in the Covenant war, but after that, well, Locus couldn't deny how effective of a team they had been.

And yet, Samuel Ortiz had to wonder; Isaac Gates had always said that the two needed to stay together, that they could survive anything as long as they remained partners. And for the longest time, that seemed to be true.

And yet here he was now, with Felix dead at the hands of the Ghost Rider while he remained alive, and for the life of him, Locus couldn't figure out why. The demon had seen him during the fight at the auction, he was sure of that.

It was if those fiery eyes were peering through the cloaking and into his very soul, and yet it had let him live, while it didn't show the same mercy to Felix. He still couldn't comprehend it; after all they were both soldiers... weren't they?

"Target vehicle on approach." A voice crackled over the comms.

"Roger that." Locus acknowledged, inwardly berating himself for his slip up. "Marking the target now."

The shuttle breached the cloud barrier, being escorted by multiple fighters to one of the Senate landing pads. Security personnel were already waiting to take Daala into custody as soon as she landed. As the shuttle touched down, an energy shield activated, covering the landing zone.

Locus had known about that security feature of course, and had prepared accordingly: the shield itself would block the bullet, but there was a small gap between the shielded hanger and the door to the hanger. Granted, it was only about a meter in length and was protected by an armored glass canopy, but Locus' current weapon should have enough power to breach it. Hopefully.

Locus watched as Natasi Daala emerged from the shuttle's landing ramp and was almost immediately restrained by GA Security. Obviously he couldn't hear what was being said, but it was clear that Daala refused to speak until she could actually reach Dorvan's office. Which was good for them, as it meant less leaks to go around.

Controlling his breathing, the armored merc took concentrated the crosshairs over the former Admiral as she was led away from the landing bay. Taking a deep breath, Locus exhaled and squeezed the trigger just as Daala emerged walked into the glass enclosure.

The projectile crossed the distance almost immediately, piercing the glass and losing a lot of its momentum in the process. However, coming from a rifle designed to take down tanks, and equipped with heavy AP ammo, it's velocity was still sufficient to punch a hole in Natasi Daala's head.

The reaction was almost instantaneous: Security called in the shot and search vehicles were called out to sweep the area. Meanwhile a medic was already on site, but was too late to actually accomplish anything.

Once he was sure that Daala was dead, Locus turned to the super commando behind him and gave a brief nod, with the Mandalorian turning away and activating his jetpack, flying out of the cloaking field generated by the Shroud.

Security speeders picked up on this almost immediately and gave chase, ignoring the sniper's perch and allowing them to escape unseen. From here on, they would benefit: if the Mandalorian warrior escaped, then the assassination could be safely pinned on Fett.

If he couldn't, well the Death Watch commando would obviously not be taken alive. Of course, it would quickly become clear that the man wasn't Boba Fett, but it would still look like one of Fett's warriors doing the killing.

Of course, whether GA Security would believe it was another matter, but regardless, it meant that they would have no proof that traced this back to the Shadow Collective. And with anything linking the shuttle to the First Order having been remotely purged, it meant that no one would suspect a thing.

Once they were sure they hadn't been spotted, Locus climbed onto the side of the Shroud, and the vehicle slowly and quietly made it's way back to their ship, which had been hidden in a run down and seedy area of Coruscant.

Once the Shroud had been loaded and the ship on its way out of the system, Locus called Lord Maul and gave him the good news. The Sith had been pleased and ordered the mercenary back to Omega.

As Locus sat in the cargo hold, waiting quietly, his thoughts began wandering once again. He had done assassination missions like this many times in the past, and his orders had been clear.

So why did it feel so wrong?

* * *

Today had been a mess for the Galactic Alliance. After so many years, the former Chief of State Natasi Daala had returned voluntarily to answer for her crimes, only to be gun downed so soon after landing.

And if security footage was to be believed, the assassin in question had been none other than the dreaded Boba Fett. Wynn Dorvan massaged his temples and sighed as he looked over the investigation.

He had known that Daala and Fett had had some kind of friendship decades ago, but now it seemed that their friendship had ended. Or at least, that was what someone wanted observers to think.

Unfortunately, apprehending the man had been impossible. A high altitude firefight had damaged the man's jet pack and he had been sent tumbling deep into the underlevels of Coruscant.

Search teams had been organized to find him or his body, but they weren't having much luck yet. Unfortunately, Dorvan suspected that finding him wouldn't help matters. According to their latest reports, Fett was still on Mandalore, and it was questionable that he would even want Daala dead, let alone having the audacity to kill her himself when he could send someone else in his place.

That's not to say it wasn't ordered by the Mandalore, but without any concrete proof, they couldn't do anything. Investigations had checked the shuttle Daala had arrived in, but found that all the data within had been wiped, likely from a remote location. And since Daala had refused to give anything out over an open communication link like that, it meant they had nothing to go on.

And this was only the most recent in a long list of problems that the IDA was struggling with: Leia had given her best effort, but the Vektan government had chosen to keep to themselves, which was the same scenario for most of the UCN worlds. According to what rumors Han could gleam, apparently the First Order had made them some sort of deal, but to what purpose, they couldn't say.

Then of course, there was the fiasco with the Spirit Generator. Quite a few people were still caught up over the presence of this 'Ghost Rider,' so much so that they hadn't really done much investigating into the man selling it. Even the Jedi seemed more focused on the demon than on Crimson Flower, much to his annoyance.

Unlike most it seemed, Dorvan had actually payed attention to Commander Shepard's report, specifically finding Unitologist contraband hidden in his compound. If what they theorized was true, then it was possible that Unitology's influence was far greater than they thought.

And that opened up an entirely separate issue: Unitology had sprung up very recently over the last few years, a faith that had originally worshiped artifacts known as Markers, it was quickly adapted to instead worshiping the Flood itself. It wasn't extremely widespread, but it was slowly gaining enough ground that people were beginning to notice.

There had been efforts to ban any practice of Unitology, but unsurprisingly, this created controversy throughout the galaxy and beyond. Some people claimed that freedom to religion was the right of every sapient being, and they had the right to believe and worship any god. Others had countered that actually worshiping the Parasite was insulting to those who had fallen during the Great Flood War, and anyone caught practicing it should be severely punished.

Naturally, the Senate ended up often deadlocked on this issue, along with many other institutions all over the multiverse. It didn't help when communiques from the two superpowers had suggested that the Gravemind was using Unitologists for its own ends, which had led to a rash of false arrests and other overreactions throughout the IDA.

And with the InterDimensional Alliance so concerned with capturing Darth Maul, while mostly divided on a number of other issues, it wasn't exactly the greatest recipe for peace and prosperity in the multiverse. Maybe that was why the First Order was gaining so many followers.

Wynn Dorvan sighed, shutting off his terminal for a moment of respite. This wasn't exactly how he had planned to spend his days, he never thought he'd actually stay on as Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance, but with everything that happened since Abeloth, things just sort of fell into place.

He was hoping that sooner or later he could retire, but after the Great Flood War, there was just too much to be done, and not enough able bodies to do it. Shaking his head, Dorvan cleared his thoughts, knowing that he needed to concentrate. And just in time; apparently a new report just came in from Citadel Space.

Reactivating his terminal, Wynn read over the document slowly at first, then paused, blinked several times and read it again, hoping that his tired mind had just been imagining things.

It hadn't.

* * *

Commander Shepard sat in a cell, having been disarmed of any weapons and left only in his Alliance uniform. This certainly wasn't how he had expected his day to go: the Council had called him back to the Citadel for a face to face meeting alongside Garrus and Ashley. But when they arrived at the Presidium docks, the three Spectres found themselves surrounded by C-Sec officers led by Commander Bailey, who declared that the Council had ordered their arrest.

They could tell that Bailey didn't really want to do this, and was frustrated with his orders. When Garrus had asked what charges had been against them, the C-Sec commander couldn't say.

However, the approach of several black armored soldiers and technicians made it clear that their intention was to impound the Normandy and study the Republic technology contained within.

However as soon as they approached the airlock, the Normandy's end sealed shut and the Council techs found themselves unable to breach through. One of them ordered Shepard to allow them access, and reluctantly, the Commander did as he was told.

Of course, things hadn't gone that way...

...

Earlier

Joker couldn't believe it. When EDI told him that the Council had sent out an arrest warrant for Shepard, Garrus and Ashley, he was definitely surprised. More specifically, it didn't take a genius to figure that the new Council had decided this was their chance to look at the Normandy's Republic upgrades, and concocting some bullshit charges to keep the three Spectres under control.

What the pilot was surprised about was how direct the Council was being about this, considering how pissing off the Republic would be an unbelievably stupid move. Of course, there was a more immediate problem.

Shepard had reluctantly ordered that Joker and EDI allow the Council techs access to the ship, no doubt he was hoping to avoid casualties. But it was EDI's next words that threw everyone for a loop.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Commander." The AI said in a way that would've made HAL 9000 proud. "To clarify, I am no longer in control of the Normandy."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Another female voice emerged from the comms as the hologram of a human woman dressed in a black business suit sprang up on the holopad next to Joker and EDI's body. "Unfortunately, we can't allow the Council to access this ship."

"Who are you?"

"I am a Republic AI, designation: Gabriela." The hologram smirked, which quickly vanished. "Unfortunately, I've been ordered to keep any unauthorized personnel from taking control of this ship at any costs."

As she said that, the docking clamps holding the Normandy in place unlocked, their security measures useless against the Republic AI. As soon as it was free, the vessels engines sprung to life as Council fighters approached.

"My apologies, Spectres." The AI continued, its voice projected into the comm receivers of Garrus, Ashley and Shepard so that no one else could hear. "Rest assured, we will dispatch agents to retrieve you from incarceration."

Against the protests of Joker and EDI, as well as the commands of Citadel control, Gabriela directed the Alliance vessel away from the Presidium, evading the pursuing fighters before vanishing into the Serpent Nebula.

...

Of course, the Council hadn't been happy about that, and the reluctant C-Sec officers escorted the the three Spectres to separate detainment cells. His mind was still reeling and analyzing what would happen next, more specifically, the inevitable interrogations.

He wasn't expecting more... aggressive interrogators to be brought in, but then again, he hadn't been expecting the Council to attempt such a naked attempt to claim the Normandy themselves either. Clearly, the new Councilors weren't as passive as the old ones.

Despite his concern for himself, his crew, Garrus and Ashley, the Commander held out hope that the Republic rescue would still come. They hadn't broken a promise to him before, and he wasn't expecting that to start now.

...

Meanwhile, in the Council chamber itself, the four Councilors in question were having a discussion with several other important figures through holograms. Besides, Irissa, Esheel, Quentius and Osoba, the holograms of Matriarch Aethyta, Admiral Hackett, Primarch Victus, and Colonel Kirrahe were present. And the current discussion was not a happy one.

"You're making a mistake." Admiral Hackett's tone was calm, a clear contrast to the fury in his eyes. "Shepard's a damn war hero, not some puppet. And antagonizing the Republic like this isn't going to end well."

"I understand your concern Admiral Hackett." Irissa's condescending tone had a tendency to annoy most, throwing them off balance. "Believe me, the Council did not come to this decision lightly."

"And yet, here we are." Primarch Victus crossed his arms. "Is this how the Council repays years of loyal service? By arresting their Spectres without actual cause?"

"I am curious, what exactly have Spectres Shepard, Vakarian and Williams been charged with?" Kirrahe asked. "From what I can tell, they've been arrested without any outstanding charges."

"We have evidence that suggests the Shepard and his crew were harboring fugitives from the IDA." Esheel replied. "We have every right to search his ship and bring those fugitives to justice."

"Funny. The old Council never cared about that." Aethyta's eyes narrowed. "Shepard's had mass murderers and Cerberus agents onboard the Normandy before, and there had never been any real complaint about that. And from what my sources tell me, the real reason they've been arrested was to gain full access to the Normandy, and take the Republic technology within."

"We are not the Old Council." Quentius' tone was more reluctant than his Salarian and Asari counterparts. "We cannot just abide the Spectres to do what they want without greater oversight any longer. And if Shepard continues to work for the Council, then the Normandy is something we possess."

"Except it isn't." Dominic Osoba spoke up at last, drawing every eye to him. "I was on the old Council too, and I was there when they agreed that the Normandy still officially belonged to Shepard and the Republic." The responding glares from the other Councilors had him quickly clamming up.

"Laws can be changed if necessary." Esheel said. "And Shepard's refusal to allow access to the Normandy shows his contempt for our rulings."

"You think that was Shepard?" Hackett bit back a laugh. "I'm willing to bet that the Republic put safeguards aboard the Normandy to keep people from doing exactly what you were planning."

"And considering that response, I doubt they're very happy with what you're doing." Aethyta interjected.

"They're not the only ones." Victus added. "From my own reports, protests have already come in from the Galactic Alliance, UNSC, Swords of Sanghelios, and Galactic Federation about the arrest."

"And those are only the larger governments." Kirrahe agreed. "The Jedi still have quite a bit of influence as well, and apparently Shepard has made friends with a few. Not to mention so many other influential groups."

"Their desire is irrelevant." Esheel snapped. "Shepard and his allies will remain in our custody until we have chosen what to do with them."

Before the other four could get another word in, Irissa cut the feed, leaving the four Councilors alone with only themselves and their aides. After a brief discussion about what would be done next, with Osoba and Quentius being the most reluctant, the Council nevertheless agreed on their next course of action and moved on to other affairs.

None of the Councilors or their security noticed a small camouflaged half-spherical device hidden in the gardens of the Council chamber. Well one asari commando did. After all, she had been the one to put it there.

* * *

 **So, that just happened. And trust me, things are going to spiral even further out of control from here. Of course, any other information would get into spoiler territory, so you'll just have to wait and see what happens next.**

 **For people complaining about the Council being unrealistically stupid douchebags, in this case, there is a reason for that. But telling you now would be spoiling later, so you'll just have to be patient.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and reviews are always welcome.**


	13. Jailbreak

**Alright, and it's time to begin the next chapter. For those who've forgotten, Admiral Daala was assassinated by Locus and the Citadel Council has arrested Shepard, Garrus and Ashley on trumped up charges.**

 **So, this chapter takes place a couple days after that fact. This will focus on Shepard and the Citadel once again, but it should be the last time that happens for a bit, though I'll mention that there are going to be some surprise characters who show up below.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect or anything else that appears or is mentioned in this story.**

* * *

Once more, the leaders of this new alliance had met up, this time via holograms from their own headquarters. The Banished leaders were onboard the _Enduring Conviction_ , the Shadow Collective on Omega, and the First Order in the command center of Starkiller Base.

In their meetings, the leaders of the Shadow Collective, First Order, and Banished often had many different subjects to discuss. From strategy and tactics to being relieved at the death of Natasi Daala, which had happened just recently.

Today though, the gathering was interrupted by a news report from Citadel Space. Apparently, Commander Shepard had been arrested by the Council. For what reason? Well, apparently the newscaster didn't even know.

All they did know for sure was that the Normandy had escaped from the Citadel, and that they were willing to pay a substantial fee for it. Of course, Maul, Atriox and Snoke knew just how bad of an idea that was, one which the Supreme Leader was quick to vocalize.

"You know, I've heard jokes about Council stupidity." Snoke said. "But I never thought they'd be this insane."

"Agreed." Maul's eyes narrowed. Something about this whole scenario just felt off. Even with new Councilors, they should've been smarter than trying to take Republic technology like this. "This is rather unusual behavior for them."

"And really foolish as well." Atriox pointed out. "I highly doubt their governments are really content with what they're doing."

"Of course, the better question is how we can use this to our advantage." Vestara pointed out, bringing the topic to something more meaningful. "With Shepard in prison, this could be an excellent chance to assassinate him."

"That would be unwise." The older Sith Lord replied. "Shepard has many friends, and they won't exactly be thrilled at his death."

"And that's assuming we can kill him at all." Savage added. "The Commander is a dangerous foe, and will be surrounded by Council guards right now."

"But we can still benefit from this." Laccabeus argued. "Shepard's imprisonment is turning the other members of the IDA against the Council, meaning they'll be even further distracted from our operations."

"Then we will continue as planned." Maul said, bringing the discussion back on topic. "We can continue our raiding parties into the outer reaches of IDA territory, targeting critical locations that are barely defended." He looked at Snoke's hologram. "And that's where you come in Supreme Leader."

"Then the First Order comes in, offering stability and security where the IDA's governments could not." Snoke continued. "We can even stage a few battles to prove the First Order's supremacy."

"You gain more influence and support while we are free to expand our operations even further." Atriox nodded. "And the IDA falls more and more into its own infighting."

"I have prepared a list of targets." General Hux interjected into the conversation. "They're important worlds while still having only minimal defenses. A determined force should be able to smash through them easily."

"Then that is what we shall do." Atriox said. "Send the list, we will need to discuss this among ourselves."

Hux nodded and the holograms vanished. Seconds later, the terminal signaled that they had received the file in question, which contained the list of worlds, as well as files on all their defenses and important targets.

The Banished and Shadow Collective leaders took a brief look and handed the data over to their analysts, while they decided to speak privately about their new partners. Naturally, they all had their concerns.

"We should send reconnaissance forces to these worlds first." Fleetmaster 'Volir suggested. "I wouldn't put it past the First Order to lie about the IDA presence in order to whittle our forces down."

"Agreed." Savage nodded. "This would be the perfect chance for them to start breaking our foundations."

"Nor shall we ignore that possibility." Maul agreed. "Our goals may align for now, but we shall remain on guard for any signs of betrayal."

"As well as continue our efforts to locate their base." Laccabeus added as an afterthought.

Of course, that was assuming they could. The reason Atriox and Maul had been able to avoid capture for so long was because their primary location was constantly on the move. With Omega now a mobile battle station, the Sith and Nightbrother could manage their operations with ease while on the move.

Atriox took it a step further, regularly swapping between different ships for security purposes, though lately he was spending more and more time on either the _Intention's Eye_ or the _Enduring Conviction_.

It would be foolish to assume that the First Order leaders wouldn't have some kind of similar contingency in place as well. Nevertheless, it would be useful to learn more about just what kind of resources they possessed.

* * *

Meanwhile, the First Order were having a similar discussion about their current alliance, albeit with different priorities. They knew that they wouldn't exactly lose much if the Banished or Shadow Collective didn't attack.

Revealing that they were allied with the First Order was also a bit of a concern, as while it was doubtful that the official governments would take Maul or Atriox at their word, it would invite investigations that they couldn't afford.

On the plus side, their assassination of Daala had had the desired effect: the First Order could claim that they had sent the former Chief of State as an emissary to the Galactic Alliance, only for their security to allow someone to assassinate her, someone who looked like Boba Fett.

There was a lot of confusion on all sides, and most of the civilian populace was quick to turn against Fett. However, GA Security had questioned otherwise, but so far there was no actual evidence linking the Shadow Collective to the assassination, let alone that the First Order itself had orchestrated it.

So that secret at least was safe, as was the fact that they had complete control over Cerberus. Even their 'allies' were unaware of that little detail, though given the fact ONI knew, there was still that lingering threat in the back of Snoke's mind.

But as the meeting came to a close, Snoke put that thought out of his mind, while a different one entered it. It was a little side project he had been looking into, and he had just confirmed one important piece of info about it earlier that day. With that in mind, he turned to Vestara as the rest of his commanders began to exit the room.

"One moment, Vestara." Snoke said as the Sith turned to leave. "I wish to speak with you in private."

Reluctantly, Vestara complied, staying behind as the rest of the First Order leaders filed out of the room. As soon as they were gone, Snoke activated a dampening field, ensuring that the no sound could leave the room and no listening devices could overhear their conversation.

"Have you ever heard of the Qreph brothers, Vestara?" Snoke began conversationally. "Interesting people those two; they were rising stars in our galaxy's criminal underworld after the Abeloth incident, but apparently met their end somewhere in the Chiloon Rift. It's an interesting story to be sure."

"I'm not sure what this has to do with anything." Only years of practiced lying kept Vestara's expression neutral. "The death of the Qrephs is just one of those mysteries that remain in our galaxy."

"A mystery that drew the attention of the Jedi." Snoke countered, all levity draining from his expression. "Vestara, I know you were present in that region. And I know about the monolith. I want you to take me there."

"Supreme Leader, that would be an unwise course of action." The Kesh born Sith protested. "Ignoring the fact that the Jedi still have a presence there, entering that monolith is not something you want to do."

"It gave the Qrephs the ability to wield the Force did it not?"

"At the cost of their sanity." Vestara shook her head. "It's not worth it."

"I've seen the information." The Supreme Leader countered. "I am well aware of the risks, but the benefits are too numerous to ignore." He shook his head. "I'm not asking for you to take me there right now, but it is something worth investigating."

"I will... consider it, Supreme Leader."

"That's all I ask." Snoke smiled. "In the meantime, I believe we have other things to deal with."

* * *

Onboard the Citadel, the Council was still hearing no end of protests from all over the multiverse, demanding that Shepard be released from custody. Already, tens of thousands had gathered outside the Citadel Tower, all people who had regarded Shepard as the Savior of the Citadel.

C-Sec had been forced to break up the gathering, which unfortunately hadn't been done completely bloodlessly. No one died, fortunately, but several individuals had needed serious medical attention. News crews were having a field day with the Commander's arrest, and unfortunately that reaction only added fuel to the fire.

In the Council Chambers themselves, the four Councilors still had to deal with galactic issues, which was proving quite difficult given recent events. And today, it was even worse, considering they were meeting with the leader of the Krogan about their latest colonization efforts. Unfortunately, Urdnot Wrex ended up turning the topic towards his captive friend.

"And I thought the old Council was foolish." Wrex snorted. "But even those pyjacks wouldn't do something so stupid like this."

"As we have said, Chieftain," Quentius ground out with all the patience he could muster. "Shepard will remain in custody until we can reclaim the Normandy."

"Because that's worked out so well in the past." The Krogan snorted. "And I couldn't help but notice all the protesters down below. You should be thankful they weren't Krogan."

Irissa inhaled calmly, feeling the urge to rub her temples, but she kept it in check. Unfortunately, this hadn't been the first individual who had been by who was a member of Shepard's old crew.

Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch had been by yesterday, and much like Wrex, what was supposed to be a calm discussion ended up being yet another argument about the imprisonment of those three Spectres. However, Tali eventually let the matter drop and resumed discussions about the Quarian and Geth situation. Wrex, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any intention of doing the same.

"Do you have a point to make, Overlord?" Osoba tried to direct the topic to something safer, but Wrex wouldn't have it.

"Well, it's simple really." Wrex said. "The Krogan are quite fond of him, and I myself don't enjoy hearing that my friends are being imprisoned for no reason." His eyes narrowed and his mouth curled upward. "And I think we have an idea of what would happen if the Krogan weren't very happy..." The implication was rather clear to the Salarian Councilor.

"You would dare start another Krogan Rebellion?!" Esheel all but screeched, her eyes widening.

"For Shepard?" Wrex's toothy grin was rather unnerving. "You better believe it."

"We will have to discuss this first." Irissa said quickly, moving to placate the irate Krogan. "Perhaps a break is needed, for all of us."

"Fine." Wrex sneered after a long of moment of silence. "But we will be continuing this discussion."

Outside the Chambers, Wrex gave a brief smirk, and activated his omni-tool, sending a coded message disguised as a shopping list. As he was escorted to the elevator, only one thought went through his mind.

 _You guys better pull this off, because I'm certainly not going to be as polite as you are._

...

"Urdnot Wrex has sent the signal." EDI's voice emerged from the android body. "The second part of the virus has been uploaded."

"Good. We've only got a limited window for this, so let's make it count." James Vega said, turning to Ventress and the three others the Republic had sent over.

It hadn't taken long for the Republic to get into contact with the remaining Normandy crew members, and they quickly devised a plan to get Shepard, Ashley and Garrus out of the Citadel.

They would upload a virus into the Citadel's networks, giving them fake credentials as Alliance operatives coming to talk to Shepard. Of course, the Council was adamant that the three Spectres were to stay on board the Citadel, so they would need help to inevitably fight their way out.

The Republic had sent support to that end, sending a unit they called the Secret Warriors to aid in the extraction. All three looked human, but when asked, their leader had claimed that they were "Inhumans," whatever that meant. James had wanted to ask more, but decided to focus on the mission at hand.

The virus in question had been provided by Liara T'Soni, giving EDI access to the Council's networks, including C-Sec's secure facilities to find out where precisely they were keeping Shepard, Ashley and Garrus.

Of course, the Council's networks were highly secure thanks to the inclusion of reverse-engineered Reaper software, necessitating the use of a two stage virus to avoid triggering alerts. The first stage had been discreetly uploaded by Tali yesterday, and Wrex was more than willing to do his part to help break Shepard, Garrus and Ashley out.

The Shadow Broker had offered to help on this mission personally, but Liara was too high profile a figure, and C-Sec would be able to tell that something was off. It was for the same reason that Javik was still on the ship, and EDI wouldn't be entering the building.

The plan called for them to dress up as System Alliance Intelligence and request to speak with Shepard. If things went according to the script, their friend on the inside would let them through, and they could bust the three Spectres out.

Of course, Ventress could make this tricky. Though she passed for human in appearance, her Dathomiri origins could give her away. She had already gotten some temporary surgery to disguise any visual clues of her alien origins, and hopefully the virus would take care of the rest. It was still risky bringing her here, but with Vega being the only remaining Alliance member of the Normandy combat team, he preferred to have someone he kinda trusted instead of just three strangers he knew nothing about.

Vega himself had temporary cheek implants to mess with facial recognition, and since none of the Secret Warriors were known here, they didn't have to worry about being recognized. At least he hoped so.

"Well what are we waiting for?" The older of the three Secret Warriors said, interrupting Vega's thought process. "Let's go."

...

The five of them entered the C-Sec offices, and quickly met with the duty officer. He was suspicious of the sudden appearance, unsurprisingly, but Ventress had 'convinced' the turian to call his Commander to verify it. Seconds later, the man in question arrived and looked over the data.

"Everything seems to check out." Commander Armando-Owen Bailey said, his face betraying no emotion. "You're cleared to enter."

"Alright thanks." Vega nodded.

The five of them were escorted to the prison proper, which was several floors below them. Once they arrived, they were ushered through the security checkpoint, a nerve-wracking experience that fortunately didn't blow their cover.

The C-Sec guards relieved their weapons at the door, as was standard procedure. Normally, this would've made things much more difficult for the breakout, but the three agents the Republic had sent, the ones who had identified themselves with the codenames, Quake, Sparkplug and Yo-yo, would certainly make this a much simpler affair.

Shepard, Garrus and Ashley had been kept in isolation, not only from the general population, but each other as well. The former was mainly to protect any other inmates from them instead of the other way around, and the latter was to keep them from plotting to escape together.

However, with the virus and EDI's own electronic warfare suite, it was trivial to have the three Spectres moved into adjacent interrogation rooms. Once that was done, it was just a matter of getting them out.

...

Daisy Johnson watched from outside the interrogation rooms as Vega met up with Shepard, and spoke about their intentions to escape. There was no chance of C-Sec hearing the plans, as Lincoln Campbell, her second in command and recently her husband, had quietly used his powers to disable the surveillance system.

It wouldn't take long for them to notice, but by the time they did, it would be far too late. Especially as the escape was already in motion. Vega quickly went to each of the cells and planted micro-explosives on the inside of each door.

As soon as he had finished, the disguised N7 walked up to the C-Sec guards in a brisk and professional manner, betraying no emotion about what was about to happen.

"Do you need some assistance?" One of the two guards guarding the atrium door asked.

"No we're done here." Right as Vega said that, the doors exploded outward, sending dust and debris flying through the room.

The guards were stunned by the abrupt explosions, and were even more surprised when their weapons disappeared and were suddenly in the hands of Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez. They didn't have time to do anything else as a stream of electricity and a blast of vibration threw them against the wall.

"Am I glad to see you guys." Garrus said as he emerged from his cell.

"We have to move quickly." Ventress said, absentmindedly reaching for her lightsabers and remembering that she had to leave them behind. "The guards are coming."

"The door's sealed." Vega said, running a bypass on the red hologram lock. "The prison's already gone into lockdown."

"Can you get the door open?" Ashley asked, holding one of the weapons Yo-yo had stolen.

"Give me a minute..." Daisy gently moved him out of the way.

"I've got it." A blast of vibration emerged from her outstretched hands, blowing the doors open. As well as knocking aside the guards who had moved to open it from their end.

More C-Sec guards began pouring in from down the hall, but quickly found themselves either disarmed or restrained in the blink of an eye. Yo-yo passed out the weapons to Shepard, Garrus, Ashley, Vega and Ventress while Lincoln blasted aside one guard who attempted to close the gap with a beam of electricity.

"So... who are you guys, exactly?" Shepard asked, gesturing to the three Inhumans. "Did the Republic send you?"

"We're with SHIELD." Daisy replied, then noticed the confused glances sent her way. "Long story, we'll explain later. First, we need to get out of here."

"I'm not sensing any guards." Ventress frowned, stretching her awareness out with the Force. "I sincerely doubt that was all of them." Wordlessly, Daisy and Lincoln looked at Yo-yo, who seemed to blink out of existence for a second.

"There's no one up ahead." The Inhuman reported. "No guards or barricades."

"It's obviously a trap." Garrus said, checking over his stolen gun. "They'll have something to keep us contained when we try to reach the elevator, probably a stasis field of some sort reinforced with kinetic barriers."

"EDI, please tell me there's another way to get out of here?" James pressed his finger to his ear, to better hear the AI's response.

"Negative." She replied. "The detention area was designed so that in the event of a riot, the prisoners would only have one method of escape."

"And it's the only one we have." Lincoln sighed.

"I think we've got another problem." Ventress interjected, suddenly looking more tired than she was a minute ago. "They must have Force suppressors here. I'm cut off from it."

"Well, it's not affecting us." Yo-yo said. "They certainly won't be planning for Inhumans."

"Can you identify where the stasis trap would be placed?" Daisy asked, getting everyone back on topic. "That's going to be the main issue." In response, James pulled up a map of the prison on his omni-tool, where a small red circle appeared in one of the hallways.

"Right there." James frowned. "And the control console for it is at the end of this hallway."

"You think you can make that?" Ashley asked, to which Yo-yo smirked.

"Easily."

...

The guards waited in their concealed positions as Shepard's rescue team made their way through the prison complex. With the Force suppressor devices in play, Shepard's Dark Jedi ally wouldn't be able to sense the trap until it was too late.

And right on cue, the eight individuals emerged into the hallway. Just a little further... and there! The commander gave the order to trigger the stasis trap just as the group walked through the envelope and... nothing happened.

Frantically, the technician tried to activate it, but the controls had been disconnected. Cursing, the commander gave the order for the guards to move in, only for them to be taken down by the three unarmed humans.

Vibration and electrical blasts filled the narrow hallway, creating a wave of power that hurled the C-Sec officers back. When the energy halted, the guards were almost instantly disarmed and restrained by the third woman.

...

With the trap defeated, the team quickly made their way to the elevator, carefully stepping over the groaning and restrained officers. As soon as they approached the door however, they realized they had another problem: the elevator controls had been shut down.

"They've cut power to the elevator." EDI reported. "I am unable to reactivate it from here." This would've been effective, if not for an aspect that C-Sec couldn't have predicted.

"That won't be a problem." Daisy replied, looking at Lincoln pointedly, who was already walking forward.

"I'm on it." The energy manipulator put his hand close to the button, static sparks emerging and bringing the machinery back to life.

As the group entered the now reactivated elevator, Shepard, Ashley and Garrus clearly had questions for their unknown allies. But for the moment, they kept those questions to themselves, leaving the ride up rather silent, right up till the doors opened and a lone figure was there to greet them.

"Hold your fire!" Bailey said.

"Good to see you again, Bailey." Shepard said warmly, as he and everyone else lowered their weapons.

"Glad to see this worked." The C-Sec commander said. "Listen, they've got people waiting out front for you, so you're going to have to blast your way out at the back. Your AI says extraction is waiting for you."

"If you just let us get away, the Council's going to realize that something's up." Garrus pointed out. Bailey sighed.

"Make it look convincing."

"Sorry about this." Bailey was sent flying by a blast of vibration, hitting the far wall painfully. He struggled to his feet as the fugitives ran deeper into the building.

"Good luck."

...

It was pandemonium in Citadel Security's HQ. C-Sec guards were already outside the building, setting up barricades while several gunships flew overhead. It was clear that the Council really didn't want the three Spectres to escape.

Thanks to Bailey's warning however, that wasn't the direction they were going. The group fought their way through the remaining officers, taking them down non-lethally with the help of the Inhumans.

Some officers chose to follow Bailey's example and basically let them pass, or only halfheartedly attempting to stop them. Soon, they had reached the rear of the building. C-Sec's HQ did have a backdoor, which more guards were covering. Fortunately, the Normandy team wasn't planning to exit through that route.

The walls of the C-Sec HQ had been reinforced to withstand most forms of explosives. They hadn't been built to withstand an Inhuman with control over vibrations. Daisy quaked through the meter thick wall, where the Republic dropship piloted by Cortez uncloaked.

EDI was already aboard, waving for them to do the same. After the team was away, the dropship cloaked and broke through the atmosphere of the Citadel, leaving the station behind.

...

"Well, that was hardly unexpected."

"Indeed. And now the Council is going to have to answer for this mess."

"And the rest of our operations?"

"They are proceeding as anticipated. The Ghost Rider's interference was but a minor setback."

"The master will be pleased."

* * *

 **Alright, and that's the end of this chapter. I bet everyone was surprised to see the Secret Warriors here, and trust me, I'll probably expand upon the events leading up to their appearance in Losing Control.**

 **But once again, the main story will get back on track, and we'll be following the forces of the First Banished Collective as they begin their plans to conquer the IDA.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	14. Changes

**And thus, we begin the next chapter. To recap, last chapter Shepard, Ashley and Garrus were broken out of the Citadel holding cells with the help of the MCU's Secret Warriors. In this chapter, we're going to continue with them for a bit to get a sense of the aftermath, and then shift elsewhere.**

 **Anyway, let's dive right in to the next chapter, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Agents of SHIELD or any other franchise that appears in this story.**

* * *

The Normandy flew through depths of interdimensional space, cruising through the void to their destination. The Citadel fleet had been left far in the dust, with their current destination being the Ark, to meet up with the Republic.

The team was currently gathered on the crew deck, with everyone thrilled to have the three Spectres back. Or rather, ex-Spectres anyway. Still, once the impromptu celebration died down a little bit, the realization of their current circumstances started to sink in.

"I guess we're fugitives now." Garrus said, his voice noticeably calm in spite of his words. "Again."

"Difference is, I can't see the Council being willing to listen to us this time." Ashley pointed out. "Not after this rather blatant stunt."

"Well, here's hoping the Republic can help us." Shepard nodded, taking a shot of alcohol. "Otherwise we'll end up living the rest of our lives on the run."

"It's not that bad." Lincoln interjected from the corner, where the three Inhumans had been milling about. "I mean, it's preferable not to live on the run, obviously..."

"Being disavowed can also give you a certain kind of freedom." Daisy continued. "Granted, it's nice to have official support, but that tends to come with a lot of red tape."

"That sounds like the voice of experience talking." Vega noted. "Dare we ask?" Daisy, Lincoln and Yo-yo looked at each other, then spoke as one.

"It's complicated."

"I can imagine." Shepard nodded. "So, where are you guys from? You mentioned something about a 'shield' earlier?"

"And you called yourselves Inhumans." Ventress added. "What does that mean?" The three looked at each other again.

"I guess we still have some time to kill." They took a seat at the table.

...

The three SHIELD agents gave a quick background history of their world, specifically focusing on the recent surge of these Inhumans, and SHIELD's purpose as a global agency dedicated to tracking aliens and people with superpowers.

"So, let me get this straight." Ashley said once they had finished their story. "Aliens called the Kree came to your Earth thousands of years ago, and genetically altered the DNA of some humans to grant them superpowers when exposed to something called Terrigen?"

The three Inhumans nodded, leaving their audience stunned. That was certainly a level of genetic alteration beyond anything they had been aware of. And they had originally designed these Inhumans solely to be living weapons.

"That's quite a lot to take in." Vega admitted.

"Weird's quite normal in our world these days." Daisy said. "Over the last five years, we've seen aliens, gods, ghosts, a guy with a flaming skull, met a multiversal empire, fought the Flood-"

"Wait, back up a second." Garrus interjected, as the Normandy ground team suddenly felt very interested. "A guy with a flaming skull? You wouldn't happen to mean the Ghost Rider, would you?" Now, it was the Secret Warriors turn to be surprised.

"Wait, you know Robbie?" Lincoln asked. "When did you meet him?"

"His real name's Robbie?" James mumbled in disbelief, while Shepard answered that question.

"It was a few weeks ago, during an auction for this whole Spirit Generator thing." He waved his hand dismissively at that. "He appeared out of nowhere, killed the auctioneer, took the device everyone was there for, and then just up and disappeared."

"First time we're hearing about that." Elena noted. "Who was selling it?"

"No idea." Garrus shook his head. "Someone called Crimson Flower, who was apparently working with a group called the Red Lotus."

"Oh, we know who they are." Daisy said, her voice darkened slightly. When she didn't elaborate, Garrus continued.

"Anyway, from what we can tell, he was connected to Unitologists in some form. We sent this info to anyone who would listen, but it seems that everyone's more interested in your friend."

"Can't say that I'm surprised." Shepard added. "Especially now, but with Unitology growing, I think their priorities are a little mixed up."

"You're not wrong."

"Commander." Joker's voice came over the intercom, interrupting the flow of the conversation. "We're coming up on the Ark now. We've been given clearance to dock onboard the _Guardian_."

"Republic Command is very interested in speaking with you." EDI's voice immediately followed. "And I've been requested to inform the Secret Warriors that the portal to their Earth will be waiting once we've landed."

"I guess that's our cue then." Daisy stood up, her husband and friend mirroring her.

...

After the Normandy docked, the Secret Warriors were escorted away, while the Normandy crew were free to move around a bit more. Shepard, Ashley and Garrus however, were escorted elsewhere.

They soon arrived in what appeared to be a briefing room, where a number of Republic officials were already waiting, including their former liaison. The three ex-Spectres were offered seats at the table, which they took.

"It's good to see you again, Commander." Their previous handler said.

"Well, I suppose I should thank you for getting us out of there." Shepard said diplomatically. "You did keep your promise, even if you technically hijacked my ship."

"Our apologies for that." Another official, a female Rodian replied. "But I'm sure you can understand our precaution."

"Understand, yes." Garrus interjected. "But that doesn't mean we have to like it."

"Regardless of your help," Ashley interrupted, sending a placating hand in Garrus' direction. "what exactly do you want from us? With this little fiasco, I doubt we're the Council's favorites at the moment."

"You're right about that." A Sangheili officer nodded. "They've put an arrest order all throughout Council Space for you three, your crew and the Normandy. Fortunately, the actual governments aren't exactly keen to follow that at the moment, and the rest of the IDA definitely doesn't have patience for the Council's bluster."

"Unfortunately, this does mean that your Spectre status and rank in the Alliance Navy aren't exactly in good word among Citadel Space." Their liaison said. "And I don't think they're in the mood to listen to us."

"You're not planning a retaliation against them, are you?" Shepard asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Fear not, Commander." The Sangheili raised a hand in a 'calm down' gesture. "We currently have much more important issues than that."

"Indeed." The Rodian nodded, as a hologram appeared, displaying a Marker symbol. "You confirmed what we suspected about the Spirit Generator. Unitologists are spreading deeper into IDA territory, far more than we would like."

"And to that end, we would like to offer you a more official position in the Republic." Their handler finished. "We want those Unitologists gone as much as you do."

"What exactly do we get out of this official position?" Garrus asked. If the Sangheili could've smirked, he would have.

"The same freedom you had when you were Spectres, increased access to Republic information sources, and if you like, a few upgrades." A holoscreen appeared in front of the three Spectres, displaying a full list of Republic infantry weapons and armor and their accompanying specs.

Shepard was overwhelmed at this. He had figured that the Republic would offer to provide them sanctuary and more, but not to this extent. He turned to Garrus and Ashley, but it was clear that they were deferring to his decision, even now.

"I'd like a chance to discuss this with the rest of my crew first." The ex-Spectre said. "Before we make any decisions."

"Of course, Commander." Their liaison nodded. "Take all the time you need."

They were allowed to leave the briefing room and took a walk through the Guardian's halls. While they were doing this, Shepard wasted no time in getting the opinion of his two friends.

"Thoughts?"

"It's quite a generous offer." Ashley admitted.

"That it is." Garrus' voice was more cynical. "It makes me wonder what happens if we refuse?"

"C'mon, after all the trouble they went through to get us out?" Ashley countered. "You really think they'd do something like that?"

"Perhaps not." The turian sighed. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"There's no maybe about it." Shepard chuckled. "Still, I can't really say I blame you. This almost feels too good to be true."

"There are some benefits here, John." The three turned at the unexpected, but familiar voice, finding a familiar Asari leaning against the wall, no doubt having waited until their meeting was done.

"Liara." Shepard whispered breathlessly. In seconds, the two had crossed the distance and were in each other's embrace, kissing passionately. "I've missed you so much." He said when they broke apart.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have come sooner." The Shadow Broker whispered. "The Council's call for your arrest took me by surprise. And when you were captured-" He kissed her again.

"It's alright." He said. "It's thanks to you that we were able to get out at all." The sound of clearing throats drew the attention of the lovers back to Ashley and Garrus.

"It's good to see you again, Liara." The turian smiled.

"Likewise." Ashley nodded. "And thanks for getting us out of there."

...

After their brief reunion with Liara and gathering the rest of the crew for a discussion about their circumstances, Shepard returned to the briefing room, where the previous occupants had already been called back by the ship's teleportation grid.

Shepard accepted the Republic's agreement, and soon they were quick to discuss what would happen next and more importantly, the task they wanted the Normandy to do:

Help track down and destroy the Unitologists.

* * *

Darth Maul couldn't help but smirk as the latest reports came in from the Citadel. Shepard and his crew mates had been broken out of prison with Republic aid and escaped the grasp of the Council.

Unsurprisingly, they were bombarded with questions and complaints regarding the situation, not to mention the fear of full-scale Republic retaliation, which Maul knew was unlikely to happen.

Despite his amusement however, the Sith was still concerned. The new Council's behavior was becoming increasingly erratic, more so than it should be. Tensions were running high through the IDA, in a way that could possibly lead to a full scale war.

Not that Atriox, Snoke or Maul himself were really complaining about that, given that a war between the factions of the IDA could wear them down and allow the alliance to take over.

But given the recent rise of Unitologist teachings around the multiverse, well, signs were pointing to something more sinister. Maul had ordered that anyone found practicing Unitologist teachings on Shadow Collective controlled worlds would be executed on the spot, and urged the Banished and First Order to do the same.

Atriox hadn't taken much convincing, but Snoke was obviously concerned with the First Order's image. Granted, the good publicity the First Order had was obviously a great boon, but the Sith had personal experience with just how dangerous the fanatics worshiping the Flood could be.

And it would be even worse if they had direct contact with the Gravemind, given the sort of technology they could obtain, with capabilities that could concern even the Republic or Separatists.

And yet, the First Order didn't seem overly concerned with this fact. Maul wasn't a fool; he had considered the possibility that Snoke or his officers were Unitologists themselves, but that did seem rather unlikely. The Sith Lord had become rather effective at rooting out Unitologists, and he hadn't detected any of the same signs in Snoke's forces.

Still, even if the First Order wasn't working for the Flood directly, it wasn't out of the question that the Gravemind was manipulating them somehow. But try as he might, Maul had yet to figure out how or why.

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Maul knew that dwelling on the potential schemes of the Flood would take all day and ultimately get him nowhere. For now, he had other operations to focus on.

With Shepard's escape, the IDA was still in chaos, which had made hit and fade attacks of the Banished and Shadow Collective all the more effective. Just as planned, the First Order had taken advantage of this, and had even managed to 'drive' the allied criminal fleets out of the sector after several brief 'skirmishes.'

And with those worlds now under First Order protection, the paramilitary faction's influence spread further and further, with even whispers of support coming in from the core worlds of the IDA.

Of course, what was to the First Order's benefit was starting to come at the detriment of Maul's own operations. The IDA doubled down on their efforts to capture or kill him, continuing their efforts to locate Omega and the Banished leaders.

For Atriox, this wasn't much of a concern: the Banished had spent a significant portion of their existence either concealing their presence or moving whenever they could. And to this day, even ONI had difficulty keeping track of their movements.

By contrast, Shadow Collective operations were not as easily relocated. Certainly, many of their buildings and assets could be moved relatively quickly, but it cost the Sith influence and income when they did so.

And the loss of several Terminus and Outer Rim holdings by IDA military action was definitely costing Maul's empire. Granted, this had the side effect of galvanizing the people in those systems against the IDA, but it did little to stave off the current issues the Shadow Collective was facing.

With his forces slowly being pushed back, Maul knew that he needed to look elsewhere for resources and even recruitment. And to that end, the Shadow Collective had looked to the Fringes.

The Fringes were technically larger than the IDA's combined territory (which in itself was larger than even the Republic and Separatist's known territory put together), but were also rather barren to the multiverse.

Collections of weak powers and single worlds were spread throughout the Fringes, barely worth consideration to the IDA. Granted, there were some metaphorical gold mine worlds that existed out in these regions, especially if the First Order and Laccabeus' description of Atmos was anything to go by, but those were clearly under the watchful eyes of the Republic and Separatists.

And that wasn't even considering the scattered remnants of factions that had fled to these areas, alongside the occasional Flood incursion before the superpowers wiped them out.

Over all, these regions were sparse and barely worthy of note, even comparing to regions like Wild Space or the Attican Traverse. And yet, clearly the Shadow Collective needed to explore them a bit more.

To that end, Maul had ordered scout ships dispatched into the region, searching for possible worlds to exploit, ideally ones that they could easily exploit with minimal casualties to their forces.

So far, there were a number of small outposts that looked promising, though their contribution would ultimately be minimal. However, there were a pair of worlds that showed some greater promise.

One was a moon orbiting a gas giant, home to a primitive race of tall blue-skinned beings called the Na'vi. Previously, another human civilization had attempted to mine a unique superconducting material, but were apparently driven off by the natives.

It did sound quite familiar to the Battle of Endor by all accounts, and unlike his former Master, Maul didn't intend to underestimate these primitives like Sidious had. Still, the world showed promise: while this Unobtanium would hardly be useful to the Shadow Collective, other resources could no doubt be harvested from Pandora and the surrounding moons.

"Deploy a station in the region." The Sith ordered. "Begin operations to strip mine those worlds."

Once he received acknowledgments from his commanders, Maul turned his attention to this other world: one which the native humans had called Sera. It seemed that in this universe, Sera was the birthplace of humans instead of the more common Earth.

Unlike Pandora, this world had been ravaged by war for much of its history. That much was easy to tell from the ruined cities and cratered surface. According to intercepted radio transmissions, the planet had been wracked with nearly a century of war, first amongst themselves, then against an underground horde known as the Locust, and then against a parasitical life form called the Lambent, which sounded uncomfortably similar to the Flood.

Fortunately, these Lambent had been wiped from the planet with a unique neutron device ( _if the only the Flood were so easily dealt with,_ Maul thought), and the number of surviving humans didn't even reach the millions.

Unlike Pandora, the atmosphere was breathable to the humans, but it also had some really unpredictable and destructive weather now. Still, the population was tough and battle hardened: they could make useful warriors if properly motivated.

"Send out a force to the humans of this world." Maul ordered his Mandalorians. "But be diplomatic, at least at first. It would be unfortunate to waste such warriors like this."

With those orders given, Maul turned his attention back to the IDA proper. Fractures in their alliance were growing and Shepard's arrest and subsequent escape weren't helping the situation.

Contrary to some claims, the IDA had never been the most unified alliance. In their early years, trade between the individual powers had been practically nonexistent, and only occasional diplomatic meetings were held with rarely anything accomplished.

The formation of the Republic and Separatists changed that, and as the two superpowers grew, the InterDimensional Alliance rushed to catch up, and failing miserably doing so.

Things gained some better semblance of unity during the Great Flood War, but quickly returned to their normal form once the war had ended. And with this latest unrest, well, the already flimsy alliance was hanging by a thread.

Snoke had the usual Imperial rhetoric, but Maul could admit that he had a point. Clearly the IDA needed new leadership and change to the existing power structure if they were to have any hope of either competing with the superpowers, or surviving the Flood.

Of course, Darth Maul didn't have any intention of letting Snoke be the one on top, but that would come later. For now, there was work to be done.

* * *

Atriox stood over the holo map on the _Enduring Conviction_ , reading over the data with an appraising eye. Banished forces were still growing strong, with IDA strikes against them being minimal.

After all, it was hard to destroy something you couldn't find, and the Banished had a lot of experience staying hidden. Even ONI was unable to find them so easily, no matter what method they used.

Of course, being solely on the run was not how anyone won a war, but Atriox knew the importance of choosing one's battles carefully. Of course, with the whole Shepard controversy, the time to reveal themselves more fully was coming soon.

The Banished leader had to admit; it was good to actually have a goal in mind. When he had first spoken with Laccabeus again all those months ago, his accusations of having no goal stung more than Atriox would like to admit.

There was a time when he had an endgame: controlling their galaxy from the Forerunner Ark had been his plan, with Halos being crafted to support this objective. But everything about that had been ruined, first with the arrival of the Spirit of Fire, then High Charity's defense shield being breached. After that, everything went down hill.

The Banished had been able to endure all these setbacks, and lived through the rise of the multiverse and the Great Flood War. His followers had loyally stayed with him during those times, but Atriox couldn't deny he had been struggling to actually think of a goal for the Banished other than mindless conflict.

However, it seemed the alliance with Darth Maul and his Shadow Collective now provided one, especially with their current ally in the form of the First Order. And actually taking over the IDA was definitely an ambitious goal, but if things continued as they were, it certainly was doable.

Of course, that wasn't to say that Atriox was happy with the end goal of Snoke being in charge, but dealing with that would come later. As for the Shadow Collective... truth be told, the Banished seemed to have found something of a kindred spirit in the criminal organization.

Both factions had started out on the run from larger factions with little to their name, but grew so much stronger by absorbing smaller factions, recruiting anyone who wished to join, and growing to the point where they could challenge those larger factions directly without being crushed instantly.

That's not to say that Atriox wouldn't be willing to personally murder Maul or his brother, but for the moment, he didn't want to. Besides, their alliance was too valuable for the Banished to pass up, though Atriox was constantly on the lookout for betrayal attempts from the Sith Lord.

"Atriox, we've just received word from Darth Maul." 'Volir reported, interrupting the Banished Chieftain's train of thought. "They've located worlds in the Fringes that can offer more resources and supplies for us."

"Excellent." Atriox said. "And what of the First Order?"

"They've diverted more resources to the worlds we've attacked." 'Volir looked at the table himself, his eyes narrowed. "We're still not sure where they're getting the ships and soldiers for this."

"I'm guessing the usual tracking methods have been defeated?" Atriox already knew the answer, asking more out of habit than anything else.

"Indeed." The Fleetmaster shook his head in frustration. "We have been able to determine that they are heading towards the Deep Core of the Force Galaxy. Beyond that, we can't narrow it down."

"Disappointing." Atriox bit back a curse. "Continue operations as planned. The First Order can wait until later."

* * *

This was getting out of hand.

Admiral Osman looked over the data in concern. Things were not going according to plan at all: she had the knowledge of ONI at her fingertips, and had spent years infiltrating the other factions of the IDA.

But even she'd been blindsided by the Citadel Council's arrest of Commander Shepard and their rather blatant attempt to take the Republic upgraded Normandy. Oh she had entertained the same idea herself, many times before, but Osman knew better than to antagonize the Republic like that.

And in this distraction, the First Order, Banished and Shadow Collective were slowly making their play through the multiverse. She watched the 'battle' between the criminals and the former PMC, noting how quickly the Banished and Shadow Collective folded to the First Order.

Admittedly, their raiding fleets were outnumbered by the Imperial capital ships, but they still gave in and retreated far too quickly compared to previous engagements. Regardless, this left more worlds under the oversight of the First Order, while the other factions were more focused on Shepard right now.

Admiral Osman knew that was a mistake: there were far bigger concerns right now, like the growing Unitologist movement, but mostly the fact that an alliance of criminals, one she had admittedly aided in creating, were making their play to topple the IDA, and the others were too focused on that Spectre and the admittedly interesting fact that he was helped out by three humans with strange powers.

Still, it seemed like it would be necessary to get the proper attention nudged back in the correct direction. And to that end, it was going to take ONI's quiet efforts to make that happen.

"BB, get me our current data on the First Order alliance." There was no response. "Black Box, report."

Still nothing, which sent a tingle up Osman's spine. He never ignored her orders, not when she called him. Something was clearly wrong. Seconds later, alarms sounded all over the UNSC Point of No Return, and the two Spartan guards who were normally outside her office door immediately entered.

"Admiral, we need to leave."

"What's happening?" The former Spartan-II demanded.

"We don't know." One Spartan shook his head. "Something has breached our systems. None of the AIs are responding."

"Our priority is to get you off this ship immediately." The other Spartan said. "We have an escape shuttle prepared and waiting for you."

Osman nodded and was escorted through the halls of the ship, with one Spartan ahead of her and one behind her. As they made their way through the Point of No Return, they passed personnel either working to restore systems or soldiers preparing to repel potential boarding parties. And it pleased the Admiral to note that they maintained their professional demeanor, even with this unexpected surprise.

Soon, they reached the shuttle in question, an executive docked in one of the escape pod bays. With nary a word, the gathering quickly entered the ship, where their pilot was already waiting with the engines idling.

As soon as they were all onboard, the ship launched from the bay, rocketing into space before the slipspace drive engaged and they were enveloped by the familiar dimension of the void.

Osman was already starting to feel woozy from this, but kept her focus enough to listen in on the pilot's report. They were heading to a secondary UNSC facility where operations could resume as planned.

"I take it the facility has been alerted of this?" Osman asked.

"Not yet, ma'am." The pilot shook her head. "Some sort of comms jamming was blocking our signal."

"Hail them now." Osman ordered. "I want them prepared for our arriv-hurk!" Suddenly, a trio of rounds passed through her back, exiting her chest and spilling blood all over the deck.

"Sorry ma'am." One of the Spartans said. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

Osman couldn't answer; there was too much blood coming from her mouth and her vision began to blur. She collapsed on the deck, idly aware of the two Spartans struggling and more gunshots flashing, but she couldn't make out what was happening.

She tried to push herself up, ignoring the pain that it caused her, but her body refused to budge. Her vision began to grow dark, and yet everything came into focus as she found herself staring down the barrel of the traitorous Spartan's side arm.

Then there was a flash and everything was gone.

...

The Spartan looked around the cockpit, his armor no longer as clear and mark free as it had been a moment ago. Regardless, everything had gone according to plan: his betrayal caught all of them by surprise, allowing him to mortally wound Osman.

His partner had been a bit more difficult to deal with, but in the end he was also lying dead on the floor, while the pilot's corpse was slumped over in her chair. And with a single shot, Osman was finished, just as the shuttle emerged from slipspace.

Ignoring the calls for identification from the facility, the Spartan walked over to the console, and activated the self-destruct system. He followed his last orders to the letter after all, and those orders had been simple:

 _Leave no evidence._

The world went white.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. Not much else to say here, really. Trust me when I say though, Osman's death is just the beginning. Things are really going to get interesting after this.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	15. Revelations

**And so we begin the next chapter of Shadow of Order, and this is where things really start going to hell. For those who've forgotten, Serin Osman was assassinated in the last chapter. And as this chapter will show, that was just the beginning. But let's dive right in, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, blah, blah, blah, you all know the drill.**

* * *

A few days after Shepard had been broken out of Citadel prison, things became even worse for the multiverse. Just that day, Admiral Osman's shuttle had been reported destroyed, with all hands lost. It was a crippling blow to ONI and the UNSC itself.

It was only the beginning: the floodgates had been opened.

The cause of the blackout on the UNSC Point of No Return turned out to have been digital, as the AI Black Box ruthlessly suppressed comms and the other AIs before uploading all of ONI's dirty little secrets across Waypoint, the Extranet, the HoloNet, and beyond.

By the time the UNSC was able to get to Black Box, the damage had been done, and the AI's viral termination software had been triggered, deleting the AI before they could figure out why it had done this. At the moment though, the UNSC had bigger problems.

ONI's operations were available for everyone to see, including things that even UNSC HighCom had no idea was happening. ONI's attempts to genocide the Sangheili by poisoning their food supply hadn't gone unnoticed, and it was only due to Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's leadership that the Swords of Sanghelios didn't immediately declare war against the UNSC.

But ONI's information didn't stop there: the SPARTAN-II and III program details were brought to light, as well as many other covert operations that had been taken against the other factions of the IDA both with and without the UNSC's approval.

The Brass was outraged, with Lord Hood in particular absolutely furious about all the operations that had been done without his knowledge. The UNSC immediately moved to purge ONI of this, while the diplomats made their best efforts to smooth things over with the rest of the IDA.

Truth be told however, the only reason the rest of the IDA hadn't declared war against the UNSC already was the fact that ONI also managed to uncover a lot of dark secrets among the other factions as well, which had quickly gained new prominence as it came to light.

The Salarian Union's plan to secretly uplift the Yahg had come to light, along with many of the hidden secrets of the Asari governments. Meanwhile, some of the darker elements of the Galactic Federation's science experiments had been revealed, including the bioweapons on the BOTTLE ship and their attempt to harness the X Parasites.

Overnight, the entire multiverse became engulfed in turmoil in the wake of this open Pandora's Box, to such a degree that few people noticed what information Black Box _hadn't_ disseminated throughout the multiverse.

Specifically, details on the Shadow Collective, the Banished and the First Order were all absent, especially the latter organization's co-opting of the rebuilt Cerberus (which was also one of the few ONI dirty secrets that hadn't been revealed).

The leaders of said organizations however, did notice...

* * *

"I must say this is a fascinating read." Laccabeus noted. "ONI was on top of their game in the information department."

"And yet clearly that wasn't enough." Snoke snorted. "I guess their employee loyalty is a bit lacking considering well... all of this." He gestured to the datapad.

Once again, the allied forces were meeting via hologram communications, with the Zabraks onboard Omega, the Brutes aboard the _Intention's Eye_ , and the humans inside the _Finalizer_. They all had moved up their scheduled meeting with this latest news.

"Well this is good new for us." Hux interjected. "The most dangerous intelligence organization in the IDA has been crippled, and everyone else is in disarray. We can expand our goals into new heights."

"Perhaps, but we must move cautiously." Savage countered. "The last thing we need is to give them a reason to unite against us."

"Well put, brother." Maul said, his brow furrowed. "Personally, I'm more interested in the info that isn't public."

"Agreed." Atriox frowned. "Specifically the fact that out of all of ONI's dirty secrets, profiles on us and their connection to reviving Cerberus are noticeably absent."

"Combined with the fact that we don't know who killed Osman in the first place." Vestara pointed out.

"Are we sure she was killed though?" Rook Kast opined. "It's possible that she simply died in a shuttle accident and her death triggered a failsafe, similar to when Lord Maul killed Aria T'Loak."

"That's not outside the realm of plausibility." Phasma nodded, but Maul shook his head.

"It's unlikely. Admiral Osman wouldn't have gotten to where she was without being loyal to ONI and by extension, the UNSC. This information hurts the UNSC far more than it helps them."

"Which begs the question," Let 'Volir stated. "who did this?" There was a brief silence for a moment before Atriox drew up several images on the _Eye's_ holotable, displayed for everyone to see.

"As far as we know, there are three factions who would be capable of something like this." The Banished warmaster started. "The Republic, the Separatists, and the Flood."

"And the first two are unlikely to do something like this, which leaves only one option." Maul trailed off, letting the conclusion hang in the air for all to see. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but it also was one they couldn't ignore.

"What can we do?" Snoke asked hesitantly. "What do we do if the Flood has already arrived?"

"They haven't." Maul said, his voice more angered and worried than he intended. "At least not yet."

"Regardless, we may wish to move up our timetable."

"That wouldn't be wise." Atriox shook his head. "Reacting in haste and fear will only make our plans fall apart."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Hux asked, slamming his hand down on the desk, and earning a glare from everyone else.

"We watch, and we wait." Maul replied. "If the Flood were truly responsible for this, then we must make plans accordingly."

...

The meeting continued for a while longer as the three factions argued over what they should do in the worst case scenario. Unsurprisingly, the Shadow Collective wanted to cut and run, no doubt traumatized with their experiences with the Gravemind.

Several Banished commanders had advocated staying hidden, remarking that it had worked for them in the Great Flood War, but Atriox and Laccabeus pointed out that in the event that the Flood won, all they'd do is delay the inevitable.

Of course, Vestara asked what they should do in the worst-case scenario. Unsurprisingly, no one had a good answer. Eventually, the meeting went back on track with their strategy of waiting out the IDA's turmoil.

As soon as the meeting ended however, Snoke called Vestara aside again. Hesitantly, the Sith stayed where she was as the others left, and Snoke approached her, standing less than a meter away.

"We need to head to that Monolith." Snoke said, his hand gripping Vestara's shoulder. "As soon as possible."

"Supreme Leader-"

"That wasn't a request, Vestara." Snoke's grip tightened. "You will take me there, today."

...

Some time later.

In the Chiloon Rift, there was an ancient monolith, ringed by a number of space stations and facilities connected to the structure. Ever since its discovery, the Jedi had kept a close eye on it with the help of the Galactic Alliance, to ensure that no one ever misused its power after the Qrephs had been dealt with. Such a task had become easier after the Alliance negotiated with the Corporate Sector and the events of the Great Flood War.

However, with recent events, a number of Jedi and GA soldiers had been recalled away to other duties, with the guarding fleet at only half strength. So when a First Order fleet emerged from hyperspace and opened fire, things quickly spiraled out of control.

Star Destroyers immediately launched their fighter complements, their numbers enough to overwhelm a location that had primarily relied on secrecy for its defense. Nevertheless, the Galactic Alliance answered in kind, as fighters launched and engaged their opposition in battle.

Meanwhile, the staff of the stations attempted to send a distress signal out, only to find the First Order had jammed all outgoing transmissions. The former PMC didn't let up, their capital ships firing on all targets of opportunity, but at the same time, going out of their way not to cause damage to the Monolith itself.

The battle quickly turned chaotic as it was clear that the First Order had the upper hand. They had obviously been prepared to assault this region with a fleet of Star Destroyers and a pair of Interdictors to keep anyone from escaping.

Meanwhile, the GA didn't have nearly as many capital ships on hand, and ultimately fell within short order. Throughout all of this, the First Order launched boarding craft to take control of the stations, while a larger group, as well as a shuttle escorted by TIE Fighters, approached the Monolith station proper.

Several squads of Stormtroopers took over the hanger bay, allowing the shuttle to land. As soon as it did, a squad of Phase Zero and Phase I Dark Troopers emerged, followed by Ilsa Zane, Vestara Khai and Snoke clad in his Phase III Dark Trooper armor.

"Supreme Leader, the station is still not secure." The Stormtrooper commander reported. "A trio of Jedi have locked themselves at the Monolith entrance. They've already killed several squads."

"Pull your men back Commander." Snoke ordered. "We will deal with the Jedi personally."

...

The three Jedi in question stood guard at the entrance to the Monolith, their senses heightened and on alert. The stark white armor of the First Order stormtroopers littered the floor, alongside the victims that had been the last of the GA troops who had survived the initial attack.

It was clear that this was their battle to lose: the First Order attack had completely obliterated every line of defense, and ensured that no help would come. It was obvious that they wanted the Monolith, but to access it, they would need to get into this chamber.

Cutting off their air supply wouldn't work here, nor would pumping poison gas into the room. No, a full frontal assault from a single entrance was all they could do here. Of course, the First Order clearly had enough troops to make that work, but the three Knights intended to make them work for it, until their dying breaths.

"We can't let them get control of the Monolith." The senior of the Knights and their unofficial leader, a female Kel Dor said. "I think we can all agree on that."

"But how?" The male Zabrak countered. "We can't exactly destroy it, even if we wanted to. And they've jammed all communications."

"Not all of them." The Kel Dor turned to the third member of their group, who was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Have you been able to contact the Jedi Council?"

"I'm trying." The female Nautolan said. "But the Monolith's presence is drowning it out. I can't reach them through the Force."

"Try using that to your advantage." The Zabrak said. "The Council must know about this before-"

A sudden shiver went up all of their spines as they felt a dark presence onboard the station. The stench of the Dark Side was getting closer, and given their attackers, there was only one likely candidate for this feeling.

"Vestara Khai." The Kel Dor whispered. "She's here."

And she wasn't alone. The sound of heavy footsteps appeared from down the hall, where the lights abruptly started to flicker. Suddenly, the source of the noise came around the corner, revealed to be the massive bulk of a Phase III Dark Trooper strolling through the hall.

Flanking the large droid exosuit were two female humans. One of which was indeed Vestara Khai, as they had expected, but the other was unknown to them. She was large, towering above Vestara herself and just coming up shorter than the Dark Trooper.

The three Jedi immediately took their blasters in hand fired down the hall, with the two humans barely having enough time to get behind the Dark Trooper. The droid pulled out an assault cannon and let loose with several plasma bolts, while Vestara and the other woman also opened fire.

The Jedi were forced to draw their lightsabers as three unnaturally accurate streams of energy zeroed in on them, batting the bolts away as they were forced to back up. This allowed the First Order members to close the gap, using overwhelming firepower as cover.

In response, the Jedi used a brief lull to pull the two women into close range, forcing Vestara to activate her own lightsaber to avoid being cut in half. The other human had no such defense, and thus seemed like the easier target, so it surprised the Nautolan when the tall human nimbly avoided her blade and punched her in the face, a blow that would killed her if not for the Force's protection.

Fortunately, the close proximity meant that the Dark Trooper had to restrain from firing, lest it hit its allies, and was also forced to come closer where the Zabrak weaved around the massive machine, searching for a vulnerability.

Of course, given the old machine was covered completely in phrik, this proved to be rather difficult. His lightsaber couldn't penetrate the armor, and even the more vulnerable joints were armored with phrik.

To top it all off, the droid suit was far faster than it looked, and the Zabrak had to expend most of his energy just trying to stay alive. The droid eventually got a hit in that sent the Zabrak flying. The Knight recovered only to immediately flip out of the way as blaster fire and missiles tracked him, an overwhelming amount that left him struggling to avoid them.

Unfortunately, he was distracted when he felt his comrade vanish in the Force, and the split second of confusion ended up causing him to suffer a blaster wound in his shoulder. Stumbling to the ground, he tried to stand, which was the last thing he did.

Snoke immediately riddled the Jedi with blaster bolts, followed by a pair of seeker missiles to be safe. At the same time, Vestara cut her bleeding opponent down, her shikkar blade still in the Kel Dor's heart.

"Well, that was easier than expected." Snoke noted as he exited the Dark Trooper. Several squads of Stormtroopers and Dark Troopers came up the hallway behind them as Zane rolled her eyes.

"We don't have forever." Vestara shifted impatiently. "They were able to send out a warning through the Force. The Jedi know that we're here."

"Fear not, I will make this quick." Snoke stepped up to the glossy black entrance. "Open it."

Vestara hesitated, but a glance and narrowed eyes had her reluctantly replying, and she put her hand on the entrance. The door opened at her touch, revealing an expanse of white light. Without hesitation, Snoke walked into the Monolith and vanished from view.

A wave of Force energy pulsed, briefly disabling every electronic in the room. Vestara's eyes narrowed in confusion when she heard the sound of something breaking behind her, and turned to see Ilsa Zane pulling two halves of her explosive collar off her neck.

"Well, that was convenient." The prototype Spartan-IV smirked as Vestara's eyes widened. "I think it's time for some payback."

The guarding Dark Troopers and Stormtroopers immediately took aim, but Zane move far too fast, putting a fist through a Phase Zero soldier's chest while simultaneously stealing his arc caster and charging it up.

A burst of electricity fried a Phase I Dark Trooper before arcing around the room and striking several others. Most of the soldiers weren't permanently harmed, but the droids and cyborgs couldn't say the same.

Zane didn't hesitate, immediately hurling the body of the cyborg at Vestara, who had already taken her blaster out and attempted to draw a bead on the rogue Spartan. The impact hit her hard, and she took a second to get it off.

When Vestara got back to her feet, the last of the Stormtroopers were dead, and most of the Dark Troopers were in pieces, with Zane killing the last Phase Zero soldier with her bare hands.

Snoke's Phase III Dark Trooper came to the rescue, unleashing plasma, blasterfire, explosive shells and seeker missiles at the Spartan, who nimbly leapt away from the barrage of firepower.

Her stolen Arc caster flared and fired, striking the larger Dark Trooper. But the larger machine had been designed with fighting an electrokinetic in mind, and shrugged off the damage.

Vestara took that moment to re-enter the fight, hurling a large crate at Zane with the Force. The Spartan-IV prototype narrowly avoided being struck, only for a seeker missile to impact her.

Zane was thrown by the blast, only to aim another arc caster shot at the Sith, who was forced to bring up her lightsaber to deflect it. With that distraction, the Spartan crossed the distance and slid under the Dark Trooper's legs as it attempted to shoot her, before climbing onto its back.

She did... something that Vestara couldn't see, but the results were plain: the Dark Trooper deactivated, the lights in its eyes dimming before fading to black. Not wasting a second, Zane tore the assault cannon from the droid's grip, and immediately started firing on Vestara.

The Sith was forced on the defensive by the barrage, her saber a blur of red light as she struggled to deflect every plasma bolt. Then Zane fired an explosive round, which Vestara narrowly managed to Force push away from her.

Unfortunately, she was still to close to the blast and was thrown by the shockwave, landing several meters away. Zane didn't stop however, firing off more explosive shells until the assault cannon was empty.

By the time she was done, Vestara had been thrown across the room several times, having managed to keep herself from being impacted directly by the projectiles. But the damage had been done: her lightsaber had been knocked from her grip at some point, and multiple pieces of shrapnel had managed to embed themselves in her.

"Well, this has been fun." Zane chuckled as she approached, noticing the blood pooling out of Vestara. "But I think the First Order's wearing out its welcome. Besides, ONI's basically dead already, not much point in sticking around." She aimed the assault cannon at Vestara. "I'd say this is nothing personal, but considering my explosive leash... well, it kinda is."

Before anything more could be said, Zane suddenly froze up, dropping the assault cannon as her arms and legs went rigid, as if she was frozen by something extremely powerful.

"I must say, I'm disappointed." The voice came from the entrance, as Snoke stepped out of the light, which promptly vanished as the door closed behind him. "Just when I was beginning to think you may be trustworthy, you pull something like this? Disappointing." Snoke walked forward, his hand outstretched as it became clear that the trip inside the monolith had given him exactly what he came for.

"Your little mutiny ends here."

Snoke immediately unleashed bolts of lightning from his hands, which arced into the immobile form of Ilsa Zane. Her screams echoed through the room until they eventually stopped, and all that remained of Ilsa Zane was a charred husk.

With that done, Snoke strolled over to Vestara's prone form and placed his hand on her stomach. In moments, Vestara felt herself being rejuvenated, as the Force flowed through her, healing the damage she had sustained.

"You will live." The Supreme Leader said. "I will make sure of it."

"How-" Vestara paused as the full sense of what Snoke had become hit her. He was strong in the Force now, not quite as strong as Luke Skywalker and certainly not Abeloth, but strong nonetheless. Certainly more powerful than she was, and definitely more powerful than Jaina Solo. "How are you feeling?" Just because he had power didn't mean he had control. His answering smirk wasn't very comforting.

"I feel great." He turned away. "Now, we need to deal with this Monolith. We can't risk anyone else using it."

"I doubt it's that simple." Vestara replied hesitantly. "Destroying it would likely require more power than what you or I possess."

Snoke turned back to Vestara, who edged away slightly. The Supreme Leader looked and sounded normal, and clearly had Force powers that he hadn't had previously, but beyond that, it was impossible to tell just what kind of effect the Monolith had had on him.

"I am fine, Vestara." Snoke said simply. "In fact, I feel better than fine." Before he could say anything else, Snoke's comlink crackled.

"Supreme Leader, we have a situation." The fleet commander reported. "A fleet of Galactic Alliance vessels has emerged from hyperspace. They're demanding our surrender."

"Hold them off as long as you can." Snoke replied. "And be wary of StealthX's. There are Jedi present in that fleet."

"Understood, Supreme Leader." The link cut off and Snoke turned to Vestara.

"We're leaving."

* * *

The two Force-users returned to their shuttle, which took them back to the First Order fleet. While in transit, Snoke could witness the battle with a new clarity he had never imagined. The very multiverse was much larger than he could've ever known before, and it gave him new focus.

The Jedi pilots were dangerous in their fighters, far more skilled than the First Order's best pilots. A crippled Star Destroyer was testament to how powerful they were, and just what a properly trained Force-user could do.

But now he had the same power, now he was stronger than he had ever been before. And so far, he had none of the side effects previous users of the Monolith had. With this power, the two Sith brothers of the Shadow Collective were no longer the threat that they once were.

Nevertheless, they would still prove useful. As the shuttle docked, Vestara was immediately taken away by the medics, leaving Snoke alone with his guards. His mind was still scheming, now with the knowledge that he could become more powerful than he had ever imagined.

Soon, the IDA would be brought to its knees by infighting, while the First Order would rise above and take control. Nothing could stop that now, not even the Republic or the Separatists.

...

"Goddamn, this is not good."

"You think? Most of ONI's operatives are either on trial or fleeing for their lives, and all their information is available for anyone to use. This is a disaster we do not need."

"And there's still nothing we can do. The Flood's movements are getting more erratic, we can't afford to deploy military forces there."

"What do you want to bet that this was all part of the Gravemind's plan?"

"That's a sucker's bet." A sigh could be heard. "At least they're not at war."

"Not yet anyway. But we both know that the Unitologists are going to do everything in their power to change that."

"I'm assuming you have a plan?"

"Well, we may not be able to send military forces, but we do have people who aren't officially affiliated with us."

"... No. Absolutely not."

"We've all but dealt with a lot of their problems and conflicts."

"And this isn't their fight! I'm not dragging them into the IDA's political crap."

"Really? The Wests and the Secret Warriors seem to be to the contrary."

"That was different."

"In what way?"

"I... it's complicated."

"Look, I've already talked to the Light. They've agreed to loan out some of their operatives to deal with this, with or without your help. And I know you want to minimize casualties."

"... Fine. You know that this will only be a stopgap solution, right?"

"Hopefully it'll be enough for cooler heads to prevail."

"And if they don't?"

"..."

"... Sometimes I really hate this job."

* * *

 **And that is the end of this chapter. ONI's dirty secrets have been released for all the multiverse to see, and unsurprisingly, the results are not pleasant. The UNSC is definitely going to tear ONI apart for this, and no one else is happy about all the shit they've done.**

 **Meanwhile, Snoke uses this turmoil as a distraction to gain access to the Monolith, granting him Force-sensitivity. And no, he doesn't look like what he does in the Sequel trilogy... at least not yet. That may change.**

 **And at the end, the Republic Supreme Commander and Separatist Ruler decide what they have to do next, and suffice to say, it will be entertaining to see the IDA's reactions.**

 **Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	16. The Team and the Light

**Alright, and now we begin the next chapter: to briefly recap; Osman is dead and ONI's secrets have gone public. Snoke uses this distraction to go to the Monolith and the Chiloon Rift, giving himself Force powers and killing Ilsa Zane after she manages to break her collar and revolt.**

 **Meanwhile, the Republic and Separatist leaders discuss their next move to halt the potential conflict before it starts, all in a rather unconventional way, to be sure. Anyway, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, or anything else that will appear in this story.**

* * *

"It seems that the IDA will not fall as easily as we predicted."

"They have survived this long, it shouldn't be a surprise."

"No matter. If the factions of the IDA didn't crumble after ONI's revelations, then I suppose we need to help the conflict along."

"The false flag operations are mobilized, we are ready to strike."

"Excellent. We must not strike all at once however. They will be suspicious of that."

"We will not fail."

"See that you do not. We will not displease our master."

...

The Citadel Council was in hot water, to use a human term. Of course, that still wasn't accurate to describe the political shitstorm that had sprung up in the wake of Shepard's escape and ONI's subsequent revelation of all their dirty secrets. A more accurate term would be that they were in boiling lava.

Regardless of the correct metaphor, the Citadel Council was stuck doing damage control after everything that had happened, especially with the revelation of several incriminating projects that had been hidden by the actual governments. The resulting press conference was a circus to say the least.

"Is it true that the Salarian Union was planning to uplift the Yahg?"

"Were the Krogan really given another genophage?"

"How many asari black operations involved Citadel space?"

Question after inane question piled up, leaving the Council bombarded by words. After a moment of cajoling, they were finally able to get the reporters to ask their questions one at a time, allowing them to answer more easily.

"We cannot confirm or deny anything at this time." Councilor Irissa said. "The leaks from the UNSC's Office of Naval Intelligence cannot be proven without additional data."

"What about the data from the Salarian Union that specifically notes of plans to uplift the Yahg?" One Salarian reporter asked. "This has backing and clearance up to the highest levels."

"Baseless accusations!" Esheel all but shouted. "ONI clearly was never above manufacturing false evidence."

Despite their efforts, the questions continued. Fortunately for the Council, the press conference was interrupted by something far more newsworthy. Unfortunately for the same Council, it was because of an assassination attempt on their lives.

Sniper rounds impacted the guards surrounding the stage, all of them disintegrating into amber ash and drawing shocked gasps from the crowd. Seconds later, a grenade landed and rolled just slow enough to pass through the kinetic barrier protecting the stage, just a meter the generator before exploding with an EMP burst, disabling the shield that protected the stage.

With the kinetic barrier down, the stage was vulnerable to the subsequent barrage of rockets that were launched, with advanced weapons like the Ad Victoriam and the SPNKr Ex aiming to maximize casualties to the Council without a care as to who was caught in the crossfire.

At the sides of the meeting hall, there was a large row of small waterfalls placed on either wall. Their design was there to be decorative and attempt to make the atmosphere more relaxed, a task that hadn't worked today.

But most importantly, they were solely there for aesthetic purposes, so when the water suddenly began flowing upwards and out of the fountains, people immediately took note of this.

The water somehow became a shield itself, protecting the Council and the crowd as the rockets impacted the suddenly hard water, washing over the dome harmlessly to the crowd inside. Once the barrage faded, the shield dropped, covering the gathering in water.

The source of this strange event was quickly identified as a human, one with dark skin, and strangely enough, webbed hands, feat and gills. He was wearing a red tunic, with glowing blue tattoos that faded to black, and a pair of what appeared to be sword hilts.

"Everyone, stay down!" The boy pointed to the C-Sec guards already heading up the stage. "Get the Council to safety."

The guards didn't need to be told twice, as they started escorting the leaders of the Citadel away. Meanwhile, the young man (known to the Republic and Separatists as Aqualad), created a whip of water that wrapped around the platform where the barrage of rockets had come from.

A quick pull had the platform and assassins on the ground, where they were revealed to be clad in ODST armor with advanced UNSC grade hardware. Any identifying markings had been removed of course, but they clearly weren't finished with their task.

Unfortunately for them, Aqualad's other water bearer produced a flail and a quick swing crushed their heavy weapons into dust. Undeterred, the squad of assassins drew their more conventional weapons and started firing, forcing Kaldur to dodge or create water shields again to protect the civilians.

" _Nurt rieht snopaew otni sekans!_ " A female voice echoed throughout the hall in a language no one understood.

Suddenly, the weapons each of the soldiers was carrying abruptly turned into snakes, which almost instantly coiled around the assailants, knocking them to the ground. With a brief " _Sekans otni sdnib_." The snakes abruptly formed into some sort of shadowy rope, binding the attackers in place.

While most of the crowd reacted in confusion, Aqualad grinned and turned to Zatanna, who was dressed in her magician's outfit and had a smile of her own. "My thanks." His expression turned serious. "Did you get the rest of the assassins?"

"They're restrained and in C-Sec custody." Zatanna turned to see the officers in question making their way towards them. "And we should probably go before we end up there as well."

"Agreed." Aqualad pulled out a small boxy device, which generated a small portal underneath their feet. They landed on the metal deck of a Republic scout ship, which was cloaked outside the Citadel. "Nightwing, is the Council secure?"

"Hold that thought."

...

Meanwhile, in the nearby halls, the Council was being led away by their guards. All of a sudden, the door ahead opened and three more figures dressed in plainclothes appeared from the entryway.

They immediately took aim, only for someone to drop from the ceiling and above them and immediately engage them in close quarters. The Council didn't know who these assassins were, but it was clear that they were professional, and skilled in hand to hand combat.

None of this mattered against their assailant, who quickly battered them down with his own combat skills while wielding a pair of eskrima sticks. When the assassins were on the ground unconscious, the Council's savior turned to them, with the guards already training their weapons on him.

He was a human, clad in a black bodysuit with the stylized figure of a blue bird on his chest and a domino mask covering his eyes. He showed no concern about the weapons pointed at him, instead he merely glanced at the door the attackers came from and then back again.

"There's no one left." The young man said. "It's secure."

"Identify yourself." One of the guards shouted.

"I'm here to protect you, that's all you need to know." The boy turned to the door which led to an antechamber. Beyond that was the protective bunker for the Council to retreat in case of something like this. "They haven't breached the bunker. It's safe to go in."

"And you're not going anywhere." Irissa said, turning to the guards. "Arrest him."

Unfortunately, they didn't get a chance. The costumed individual sighed before throwing a small explosive at his feet, creating a cloud of smoke that obscured him from view. Shots rang out before the head guard ordered them to cease fire.

After the smoke cleared, there was no sign of him. Remaining on guard, the Council was tentatively led to the protective bunker, where they found that their mysterious savior had indeed told the truth.

"Establish a link with Commander Bailey." Councilor Osoba ordered. "We need to know what the hell happened to the assassins."

"As well as our saviors." Quentius added, to everyone else's reluctant agreement.

"Could they be related to the people who broke Shepard out of prison?" Irissa asked.

"It seems logical." Esheel replied. "Since we can't question them however, we can only speculate." The frustration in her voice was palpable. Salarians generally preferred to know as much as they could to have the upper hand, and so many surprises in the last few days were really wearing on her nerves.

The conversation was interrupted when they got Bailey on the line, and were quick to inquire about the heroes. Unfortunately, it seemed that he had disappeared through a portal, which had apparently happened to the other two humans from in the meeting hall when C-Sec tried to apprehend them.

They had left behind the assassins for C-Sec to question, but unfortunately, they all committed suicide before they could be interrogated, leaving only their weapons and armor to figure out their identity. And considering the rather advanced weaponry, it was starting to look likely that the UNSC may have been behind this.

"We don't know that for sure." Osoba pointed out. "It's possible that this was an outside factor, maybe even Unitologists."

"That's doubtful, Councilor." Esheel replied. "Look at the evidence: ONI's fall is forcing them to rush into damage control."

"That doesn't make sense." Quentius argued. "What would they gain by orchestrating an assassination on us? And with such a blatant method?"

"Once we figure that out, we'll know how to respond." Irissa replied. "One way or another, the UNSC will answer for this."

* * *

"The Council assassination has failed."

"What happened?"

"The Republic happened. Three members of the Young Justice team foiled our efforts."

"That's unfortunate. Still, this could work in our favor."

"I'm assuming we shall proceed with the rest of our plans?"

"Indeed. But keep on the lookout for more of those so-called heroes."

...

ONI's fall had thrown the IDA and the Galactic Alliance into turmoil, with concerned reporters and civilians all clamoring for a response from the Chief of State's office. And unfortunately for the man in question, Wynn Dorvan was left to answer the call.

The press conference was being held outside the Senate building, with thousands of reporters and civilians present. Holocam droids darted all over the foyer, capturing all the footage they could.

Of course, they couldn't get too close: the stage had a portable shield generator erected around it, to keep anyone from attempting to assassinate him at this event. It was a standard precaution at events such as this, which was already a nightmare as it was.

With the anger over all the secrets that the GA had kept, damage control was even more difficult. It didn't help that there had been a recent attack in the Chiloon Rift. The First Order had launched a raid and accessed the Force Monolith that was being protected there, which drew the attention of most of the Jedi Order.

Fortunately, the Jedi had sent a representative in the form of Leia Organa Solo, but even she had difficulty calming the crowd. Nearby, two security guards were hanging back behind him. One of them was a surprisingly young looking human male, barely older than 16 years of age.

The other was a Trandoshan, and judging by some of his scales, he was much older. As Dorvan turned his attention back to the crowd, he noticed something that looked like a small green animal running between everyone's feet.

He focused back on the crowd as the attention turned back to him, when suddenly there was a large flash as something overloaded the energy shield. Screaming rent the air as several guards around the stage suddenly dropped dead.

"Sniper!" Leia shouted, pulling out her lightsaber and deflecting another shot, which was disintegrated on the blade. Unfortunately, this proved to be nothing but a distraction.

There was a flash of blue light and Leia was knocked away by the energy and surprise of a biotic charge. An Asari stood where Leia was a second ago and immediately fired on the young human guard with her shotgun.

Surprisingly, the human completely ignored the mass accelerator shards that pierced his armor and rushed forward, forcing the biotic to lighten his mass and send him flying into the air.

Suddenly, the Asari was hurled away by an invisible force, which Dorvan followed to see the Trandoshan guard with an arm outstretched, no doubt the source of the telekinetic blast as Leia was still rising to her feet.

"You're a Jedi?" Wynn asked in surprise. The Trandoshan shook his head.

"Not exactly." The female voice that emerged from 'his' mouth was a surprise, as did what happened next. In a moment, the Trandoshan became a green humanoid woman, with short red hair and a slightly freckled face. Her clothes had also changed: gone was the GAS uniform, instead she was clad in a black jumpsuit with two red sashes crossed over her chest. A hooded blue cape was on her back, waving as she suddenly levitated into the air.

Meanwhile the sound of screaming, gunfire and blasterfire registered to the Chief of State as it became clear that more assassins were moving through the crowd, and engaging in combat with GA Security.

It was a losing fight: Security forces had mainly expected to deal with an angry crowd of civilians or some foolish assassin, not a full scale assault by what looked like a company of troops.

Suddenly, the guard that had been thrown into the air came back down, guided by the telekinesis of the green humanoid. He landed hard but on his feet in the center of the attacking lines, the resulting shockwave scattering them like sheep.

One Krogan recovered quickly and charged in a blood rage, only for the young man to effortlessly catch his punch and headbutt the Krogan, which hurled the reptilian alien back 20 meters.

Meanwhile, a large animal suddenly materialized in the middle of the assaulting soldiers, a large green four legged elephant, which immediately began swatting soldiers aside. A Salarian quickly recovered from his surprise and hit the creature with a neural shock.

The elephant trumpeted in pain before suddenly shifting a cheetah, which immediately charged the Salarian that had attacked and tackled him to the ground. More soldiers found their guns suddenly hurled out of their hands or found themselves swatted aside by the green woman.

Several soldiers managed to track her and their rounds were on target, only for them to pass right through her. Another four-legged green animal, one which Wynn couldn't recognize, suddenly was rushing through the lines of those attackers, while the boy simply moved through gunfire like it wasn't there, and effortlessly hurled soldiers aside.

Wynn was all but enraptured. The three of them were coordinated, almost unnaturally so. With not even a word between them, the three took down the assailants with complete ease.

"We have to go!" Wynn jumped when a hand came on his shoulder, only to find that it was simply Leia. "We need to get you somewhere safe." Reluctantly, Wynn nodded, allowing the security personnel behind Leia to escort him from the stage.

...

 _The Chief of State is on the move._ M'gann thought as she hurled several assailants away, then narrowly dodged an incinerate blast aimed at her. _We need to keep this up just a little longer._

 _Not to mention get this fighting away from the civilians._ Garfield gave a grimace as he saw the few that had been caught in the crossfire. _I can't believe they would do this._

 _They're Unitologists._ Conner kicked another krogan away before ducking as Warp ammo struck him. The latter was much more annoying than standard mass accelerator fire, but it still wasn't enough to harm him in small quantities. _They do whatever their master tells them too._

Their mental conversation was interrupted by the sound of an approaching vessel. Sure enough, a Mantis gunship rose over the platform, it's mass accelerators already whirring.

A pair of missiles immediately followed and flew towards the stage, only for M'gann to catch them both and hurl them back towards the gunship. The kinetic barriers flared at the blast, while Beast Boy immediately shifted into a gorilla and cupped his hands together, with Conner immediately catching on.

With Beast Boy's support, Superboy leapt at the gunship, ignoring the mass accelerator fire that bounced off his skin as he landed on the cockpit. With a single punch, the reinforced glass simply shattered, and in that same move, he pulled the pilot out of the cockpit.

M'gann caught the gunship telekinetically before it could crash into the ground, instead guiding it safely to the ground. And with the rest of the attackers currently incapacitated, she started pulling off pieces of the ship or other parts of the courtyard to restrain them, while Conner and Beast Boy did the same.

"I think that's all of them." Beast Boy said as he shifted to his preferred humanoid form. "What do you think, sis?" M'gann's eyes turned to a green glow for a second.

"I'm not detecting anyone else." She said after a moment. "I think we got all of them."

"What about these guys?" Superboy asked. "Can you see what they know?"

M'gann hesitated and for a moment, Conner regretted asking. Anything regarding Unitologists or the Flood hadn't exactly been a fun experience, but it was even worse for Martian telepathy.

In one of their few missions against the Parasite, the Gravemind had managed to force a connection into M'gann's telepathic link. It was severed almost immediately, but what they had seen wasn't pleasant.

Nor was hearing M'gann's resulting screams.

It was a miracle that the Team had managed to escape that situation, and afterward, everyone involved was taken off duty and given multiple psychological evaluations from both the Justice League and the Republic.

It took months, but eventually the Republic had concluded that the Team hadn't been infected with the Logic Plague, and they were allowed to return to their hero duties. Despite this, M'gann was far more hesitant to use her telepathy in close proximity to the Flood, or even Unitologists for that matter.

"I can try." She finally said after a moment, but suddenly their captives started convulsing. The Unitologists had taken the opportunity to activate their suicide implants to keep them from talking, which in this case involved species specific poison for each individual, hidden in their teeth.

Conner gave a grimace and M'gann looked away, closing her eyes. It was too late to stop them, leaving no one for the Galactic Alliance to interrogate. And on that note:

"Um, I'm thinking we should get out of here." Garfield said, tugging gently at M'gann's cloak. "Because those guys do not look happy."

Several GA security personnel were approaching with blasters in hand. As much as the heroes were willing to discuss things with the authorities, the Republic had given them clear instructions to leave once the Unitologists had been dealt with.

Superboy quickly pulled out their Republic-issued teleportation device, and the three of them vanished through the portal that appeared beneath their feet. They left behind a fair amount of damage, and many, many confused members of the Galactic Alliance.

* * *

"And you're sure about that?"

"Yes sir." The guard nodded. "They used something to teleport away before we could question them."

"That's unfortunate." Wynn sighed. "And the attackers?"

"All dead." Was the reply, causing Wynn's hope to plummet. "We're still working on identifying the bodies."

"Very well. You're dismissed, Captain."

The GA officer nodded and left the room, while Dorvan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair and over his temples. He was currently in a Galactic Alliance safehouse, some distance away from the Senate building for safety.

They couldn't be sure whether or not these assassins were also inside, so Security with the aid of the Jedi were scouring the building to ensure that it was safe. But while they were doing that, the Chief of State was stuck in this barely furnished room, looking over the data from the attack and all the lives that were lost.

"It's not your fault." Wynn turned to Leia, who was standing a short distance away. "You couldn't have predicted this was going to happen."

"Those deaths are on me." The Chief of State replied. "Their safety at that event was my responsibility."

"We don't know how they got in." Leia countered. "It's likely that someone in the crowd was there to counter."

"Which means security has its own leaks." Dorvan said. "Considering how the guards on the stage weren't our own." Leia couldn't contest that, leaving them in silence for a moment. Then Wynn pulled out a datapad and brought the image of their saviors up on the screen. "If I may ask, what are your thoughts on these individuals, Leia?"

"They're certainly powerful to be sure." The former Princess of Alderaan replied. "The girl especially. Shapeshifting beyond any other species we've ever seen, not to mention the telekinesis and telepathy."

"Telepathy?" Wynn furrowed his brow in confusion. "How do you know that?"

"Because she told me. Mentally." Leia shook her head. "It's no wonder I didn't notice anything off about them."

"A telepath powerful enough to fool a Jedi?" Wynn's eyes widened. "I suppose I should be thankful she was on our side. Though we don't know if she's the only one of her species."

"A fair point." Leia admitted. "Though she's clearly not the only dangerous one. The boy was clearly invulnerable to mass accelerator and blasterfire, and much stronger than almost anything we've ever seen." Wynn had to agree, as he watched him toss a krogan aside like he weighed nothing. The last time he had seen something like that was watching the footage of the Ghost Rider.

"And the third one?"

"Definitely the strangest." Leia frowned. "Another shapeshifter to be sure, but he or she only seems capable of changing into green animals."

"An odd limitation." Wynn nodded. "More important though, is where they came from."

"If I were to guess, I'd say the Republic sent them." The former Chief of State of the New Republic answered. "Though they'll likely try to deny it." Wynn sighed yet again.

"I can't say I'm a fan of all their secrecy." Dorvan said. "It's hard to predict what they'll do next, especially when they refuse to give us anything on the Separatists."

"I bet that GA Intelligence really hates being unable to learn anything about them."

"You have no idea." The conversation came to a halt when Dorvan's aide Desha Lor walked in, holding a datapad in her hand. "I take it there's been a development?"

"Intelligence was able to identify one of the bodies." Desha walked up with a datapad, displaying an image of the asari who had entered the stage with a biotic charge. "Neyti V'Reiss. She's a Citadel Council Spectre."

That was certainly worrying. Either another Spectre had gone rogue (which didn't say good things about the Council's ability to control them) or the Citadel Council was who ordered this attack in the first place.

Wynn and Leia very much wanted to doubt the latter option, believing that the Citadel wouldn't try such a desperate strategy, but if there's one thing ONI's intel had shown, it was that the GA hadn't known their supposed allies as well as they had thought.

"Jedi Solo, I have a request for you." Chief of State Dorvan said. "I'd ask that the Jedi send someone to the Citadel and talk to the Council about this event. We need to know the truth."

"You don't think they did this?" Despite the questioning tone, Leia's voice had a kernel of approval.

"I don't intend to act rashly until we know all the facts." The Chief of State said. "I do expect them to make up some sort of denial regardless, but I doubt they can fool a Jedi."

"They never have." To their credit, the Citadel races had well trained diplomats, but they still couldn't hide themselves from the Force, even accounting for their lessened presence due to their origins in another universe. "I'll leave immediately."

* * *

The next attack was much more brutal and pragmatic. Then again, against the UNSC, that was the way to go. Multiple gunships battled in the air, while chaos abounded around the stage as the UEG President was immediately evacuated elsewhere.

Of course, that was ultimately a distraction to the true assassination attempt, which targeted the UNSC Security Council while they were gathered in the Bravo-6 facility under Sydney.

Lord Hood was one of the officials present, and undoubtedly one of the highest priority targets for whoever was attacking them. Though how these assassins had even made it into the facility was beyond him, given that the security had been updated and changed as soon as ONI's dark secrets had gone public.

They had already been planning to relocate, but this attack had caught everyone off guard, leaving the attackers free to act while the nearest UNSC forces were stuck dealing with the larger attack on the President herself.

And with jammers in place, the defenders were unlikely to get any respite. Even the Spartan guards were being overwhelmed, and all the escape entrances were blocked, leaving it likely that Security Council would go out fighting.

So when a large blast of energy blew a hole in the wall, the defenders inside immediately turned their weapons to the breach, ready to fight back. But no attack came. Instead a humanoid figure walked out of the hole clad in strange blue armor, his hands up in a gesture of peace.

"Hold your fire!" An oddly young voice called out, his helmeted mouth moving with his words. "We're here to get you out."

"Identify yourself." One of the Admirals called out, everyone else refusing to lower their weapons.

"Call me Blue Beetle." Their 'rescuer' replied. "Look, we don't have time for this. They're going to break through in-"

There was an explosion, as the main door was blasted open, and blasterfire instantly followed, forcing the members of HighCom to find cover. There was a deafening noise and Hood looked up as the blasterfire stopped.

Blue Beetle was hovering in the air, his armor growing a pair of translucent bug-like wings, while his right arm had become a strange weapon that was blasting visible soundwaves through the doorway.

That was all Hood had time to see before he was suddenly whisked away, in an atrium surrounded by surprised UNSC soldiers. Seconds later, the rest of HighCom was present as well, as a streak of something deposited them there.

As they looked around confused, the streak resolved itself into a young human wearing a strange outfit of red and white. A clear visor covered his eyes, and he looked unconcerned with the fresh myriad of weapons pointed at him.

"Ok, that's everyone." The boy's speech patterns were energetic and unnaturally fast, and his tone was fairly relaxed in spite of it. "You'll be safe here. And don't worry about the President, we've got that under control." He finally seemed to register just how many weapons were pointed at him. "Wellgottagobye!"

The boy disappeared in an instant, with acceleration and speed far in excess of what even the best Spartans were capable of, and before anyone had a chance to pull the triggers on their weapons. After shaking off the feeling of confusion, Lord Hood turned to the base's commander.

"I want combat teams deployed to Bravo-6." Hood ordered. "We still have personnel trapped inside with the attackers."

"That won't be necessary sir." The facility's AI popped up on a nearby pedestal. "We already have reports that the attackers have been routed, and many are available for questioning."

A holographic screen accompanied those words, showing Blue Beetle casually blasting his way through the HighCom facility, creating a variety of weapons and defensive shields that absorbed heavy weapon fire without a care in the world.

Then he created what appeared to be giant staple guns on his hands, which were strong enough to pin down species like Sangheili to whatever they were attached to, considering the multitude of alien attackers that had breached the base.

"What about the President?" Hood asked.

The screen changed, this time showing something even more absurd. A teenage female human dressed in a t-shirt and track pants was flying around under her own power, deflecting blaster bolts with a pair of bracelets on her wrist and crippling gunships with her bare hands.

A strange gold lasso was occasionally brought out to wrangle up more of the attackers, depositing them to the confused authorities before abruptly flying off. The video paused, leaving Hood to feel equally confused.

"Well that was certainly... something." He said at last. "Do we have anything from the captives?"

"Not yet, but we will." The AI replied. "Just as soon as we remove the suicide implants the unconscious ones undoubtedly possess."

"Good." Hood nodded. "I want to know who they work for and why they attacked us. And what about those so-called heroes?"

"It seems that they've vanished." One of the other admirals replied. "Our forces tried to get them to come to us, but they retreated into portals that came out of nowhere."

"That's unfortunate." Hood shook his head. "Still, it's probably for the best. I doubt we'd be able to take them so easily if they didn't decide to come quietly."

* * *

"Damn it. The attack on the UNSC has failed. Worse, they've managed to capture some of our number."

"Shit. What about the other attacks?"

"We're getting the same reports. More of those damn heroes have interrupted the assault on the Galactic Federation Chairman, the United Systems leadership, and the UCN chiefs."

"We'll have to improvise. The contingency plans are already prepared, we just need to activate them."

"Unfortunately for you, that's something you won't have time for." The unexpected robotically altered voice caused the Unitologists to look up.

Standing in the rafters of this old warehouse was a man dressed in odd military grade armor, including a helmet with a blue-purple visor, a pair of glowing blue eyes, and a pair of antenna that looked like bat ears. The soldiers didn't hesitate to aim their weapons, but by then it was too late.

The Arkham Knight dropped from the ceiling, landing on top of one of the soldiers still in the room and immediately gunning down two more. The remaining guards immediately opened fire, but the shots were wide, allowing the Knight to take cover.

They didn't have a chance to pin him down, as Deathstroke emerged from the shadows, cutting down more soldiers with the sword in hand. He wasn't the only one who attacked: multiple operatives from the League of Shadows emerged, with various bladed weapons that they used to great effect in such close quarters.

A few soldiers managed to land some hits, but their weapon-fire was deflected off the Separatist issue energy shields, which the combatants were more than happy to take advantage of.

The body of a Unitologist struck the control console, activating the surveillance system and showing that not only had the Light's forces totally compromised their base, but others as well.

In one such facility, Mammoth tore a tank apart and hurled the pieces at a squad of soldiers while his sister easily carved through walls and soldiers with her transmutation powers.

In another base, Icicle Jr. froze a column of soldiers, allowing Devastation to shatter them into pieces. In yet another, Professor Ojo cut down more soldiers with his laser eyes, while Abra Kadabra effortlessly restrained more Unitologists. An underwater view showed Black Manta himself leading his forces against an aquatic facility.

Back in the main base, the Unitologist commander attempted to flee, but felt something sticky affix to his back and pulled him away, before knocking against a wall. Black Spider finished webbing the man to the wall just as the last of Unitologists were dealt with.

"Oh we didn't say you could go anywhere." The spider-themed supervillain said as the Knight walked over and grabbed the Unitologist's neck.

Now, you're going to tell us what your back up plan is, and how to shut it down."

"You really think I'm afraid of you?" The commander laughed, then gagged as the Knight tightened his grip. "The master gives me the strength of will to endure. Torture me all you like, I welcome it."

"Very well then." The Knight loosened his grip, and turned to a hooded figure that had arrived. "He's all yours, Psimon." The latter pulled down his hood, revealing his exposed brain in a clear cranium. The Unitologist's smirk faltered.

"Tell Psimon your secrets." The telepath reached out with this mind, tearing through the Unitologist's meager defenses (which might have been enough to fool a Jedi or Sith) with ease, before recoiling back and screaming, a sound echoed by the captive terrorist until he was left a drooling vegetable.

As Psimon rose to his hands and knees, every assassin in the room immediately trained their guns on him. "I'm alright." He said, his defeated tone suggesting otherwise. "I don't have the logic plague."

"What did you see?" Deathstroke asked, as no one bothered to lower their weapons. "How do we stop their next attack?"

"We can't stop it." Psimon said, his voice now all but desperate. "The ones in charge were given orders to activate their contingencies if the primary facilities came under attack!"

Suddenly, there was a massive rumble that shook the building. Turning to the surveillance screens that depicted the exterior view from the building, the supervillains watched as a massive fireball appeared deeper in the city.

* * *

 **And that's the end of the chapter. I know, it's evil to leave you guys on a cliffhanger like this, but it is what it is. So, this was the main Young Justice chapter of this story. I'm not sure yet if any of the heroes or villains will make later appearances in this story, but they did all survive this chapter, so it's possible.**

 **Anyway, with all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	17. A New Conflict

**Alright, and now it is time to begin with the next chapter. To recap what happened last time: members of the Young Justice team foiled assassination attempts against the leaders of the IDA, while the Light attacked the Unitologists responsible, which unfortunately activated their contingency plans.**

 **Now, this chapter is going to show just what the Banished Shadow Order was doing during all this first, before we get to what the Unitologist contingencies were. With all that said, let's dive in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

"That was a risky move." Darth Maul frowned. "Attacking the Alliance and Jedi in the Chiloon rift so openly. You'll make a lot of enemies that way."

"It was worth the risk." Snoke replied, inhaling briefly. "With the Alliance in turmoil thanks to ONI's fall, they lack a spine. Their lack of response to us proves that."

"And I'm sure gaining Force powers had nothing to do with it." Atriox's hologram crossed his arms. "And you killed Ilsa Zane, who was a gold mine of information on the Spartan program."

"Not to mention drawing the attention of the Jedi." Savage snarled. "They will come for you sooner now."

"Let them come." The Supreme Leader smirked. "The GA won't be able to help them now."

Vestara, Hux and Phasma exchanged a private look, clearly not in complete agreement with their leader, but saying nothing. Maul could understand why; Snoke's presence in the Force was powerful now, but he was still untrained. The Sith Lord alone could beat him, but it would be a close fight.

"Be that as it may." Maul interjected. "We must remain in guard. For whatever reason, the IDA still doesn't know of our alliance, and I'd think we'd want to keep it that way." Snoke was about to reply when a Black Sun controller on Omega's bridge called out from his station.

"Apologies for the interruption, my lord, but you need to see this." A file was sent to the comm console, where the Sith took a look at it. "Someone just tried to assassinate the Citadel Council."

"Interesting timing." Savage noted as Maul decided to send the file to the Banished and First Order leaders. "Were the assassins successful?"

"It appears not." Maul said as the video played. "And it seems we have some old acquaintances to thank for that."

The footage was grainy and unclear, no doubt due to the reporters in question being caught up in the attack. What was clear however, were the two curiously dressed humans who foiled the attack, one who could control water, and the other who clearly had some form of magical abilities.

As they watched the video, the expressions on the Shadow Collective side of the meeting darkened, especially whenever the oddly dressed humans were on screen. This didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the meeting.

"I take it you're familiar with these individuals?" Laccabeus asked.

"They're Republic allies." Maul replied. "More of those superheroes."

"Why would the Republic send them out here?" Hux asked. "I thought you said that they tried to keep them under wraps."

"Apparently, that's no longer the case." Atriox crossed his arms. "What I'm interested in are the assassins."

"They definitely look like they have UNSC issued tech." 'Volir peered closer to an image of one of the soldiers in question. "State of the art by the looks of it. You can't get that on the black market."

"Then either the UNSC is trying to openly assassinate the Council, or it's a false flag operation." Vestara noted. "Given everything we know, I'm assuming the latter."

"Does anyone really think that would work?" Laccabeus asked, slightly incredulous. "That's rather blatant, especially given recent events."

"Unfortunately, given the new Council's latest behavior, I can see them believing it." Maul sighed. "Regardless, we need to be patient, and draw no more attention to ourselves." The Sith's yellow eyes pointedly glared at Snoke. "If the Republic has already sent their agents, then there is more going on here than we know. And we shall act only when we know more."

...

A week later, the three leaders were united once more, with the Shadow Collective, Banished and First Order leaders on one of the former's space stations, to discuss how events in IDA territory were quickly spiraling out of control.

Over the last week, multiple obviously false flag assassination attempts had been launched against the other heads of the IDA factions, each one being foiled by more of the Young Justice heroes.

Snoke and Hux in particular had been displeased that attempts had been made against the United Systems and UCN, given their subtle support for the First Order. Regardless, with ONI's leak and now these attacks, tensions were running high amongst the IDA, and it seemed that only one good push would cause a break out of war.

And unfortunately for the IDA, that's exactly what happened.

Multiple terrorist attacks were enacted among civilized worlds, including their capitals. Major government buildings and facilities had been spared, but civilian casualties were extreme, especially when WMDs were involved.

This might've been manageable, if not for the fact that shortly afterwards, multiple fleets from each governments launched follow up strikes, the first being a UNSC fleet enacting a hit and fade against Coruscant. Though Lord Hood had claimed the UNSC wasn't responsible, the damage had been done, and the conflict had begun.

Of course, this left the criminal alliance in a rather unique position. The efforts to hunt down the Shadow Collective and Banished were all but melted away, and the First Order was gaining a lot of support by offering and ensuring that the war couldn't spread to worlds they protected.

"And it won't take much to follow through on that." Hux was saying. "The conflict's still contained for now, and they're still fighting in a 'civilized' fashion."

"That won't last." Atriox warned. "War is seldom civilized."

"You would know about that, wouldn't you?" Snoke snarked, eliciting a low growl from Laccabeus. "More to the point, this is the chance we've been waiting for. As soon as the IDA cripples itself, we can take over."

"It will not be so easy." Maul's voice lowered an octave. "The Jedi have refused to take part in this war. No doubt they are still focused on us. Or more specifically, you, for breaking into the Monolith."

Then they will be dealt with." Snoke said grandly, with Vestara looking distinctly uncomfortable when he said that. "We will begin another purge to wipe the Jedi from the galaxy!" This drew exchanged looks from the rest of gathering.

"With all due respect Supreme Leader." Hux started. "It's not going to be that simple. The Jedi are not the same from Palpatine's era, they-" Hux gasped as Snoke raised his fist, clasping at his throat as he struggled to breath.

"We will find them." Snoke's voice grew cold. "And we will kill them, no matter what it takes. Even the Skywalkers and Solos cannot stop us."

"Patience, Snoke." Maul said softly, as the First Order general hunched over, panting heavily. "Darth Sidious did not wipe out the Jedi overnight. There is a reason the Jedi have lasted as long as they have."

"This discussion is rather premature." Atriox interjected. "Jedi or no Jedi, our mutual goal is taking over the IDA. That is where we should be focusing our attention."

"And patience is the key." Savage said. "We need to know what will happen before we make our move."

"Perhaps not." Vestara suggested. "We might want to exacerbate tensions a little more." This drew numerous approving glances and nods from the gathering.

"We must be cautious." Maul said after a moment. "It would be unwise to bring undue attention on ourselves from what remains of the IDA."

"Or the Republic and Separatists." Laccabeus added, causing more than a few involuntary shudders.

"I believe we may have something that can help with that." Snoke smirked.

* * *

"Take cover!"

Kanan quickly heeded his own advice as a rocket flew by overhead. Sabine briefly lifted herself out of cover and let loose a flurry of blasterbolts before returning mass accelerator fire forced back down. Further down the line, Zeb was pinned behind a crate, while Ezra was pressed against an alcove in the street.

"Spectre 2, we need fire support!" Kanan shouted. "We're pinned down on the main street."

"That's a negative Spectre 1." Hera replied. "I've got several fighters on my tail. Still trying to lose them." There was a loud rumble on the other end of the line. "Chopper take out that guy on our rear!"

Kanan bit back a curse as he pulled out his blaster and fired down range, taking down two soldiers before being forced back into cover. Ever since this conflict started, the Jedi Council had refused to get directly involved, instead ordering the Jedi to help civilians who were caught in the crossfire.

It had all gone so wrong so quickly. With the separate attacks by UNSC, Sangheili and Citadel fleets, the Galactic Alliance didn't have much of a choice in avoiding a war once those surprise attacks had killed millions.

The Senate had called on the Jedi for support, but the Council had refused, abandoning Coruscant once again. Instead, the Jedi were focused on helping who they could, with the secondary goal of figuring out just what caused this war and bringing it to a halt before it could get worse.

Kanan and Ezra had primarily been doing the former, traveling to the city of Iziz on Onderon to discuss things with the planet's government. Unfortunately, soon after they arrived, the city had been attacked by white armored soldiers using Element Zero weapons and equipment.

The Ghost was quick to offer to aid however they could, but these guys had been prepared. They had blitzed the planet before the Onderon military could properly marshal their forces, turning this into a desperate fight for survival.

Meanwhile, the crew had barely made it out the building before a platoon supported by Atlas Mechs

"Does anyone have a plan?" Sabine asked, blind-firing at this point. "Because we're running out of room."

"Can we get any reinforcements?" Ezra asked. "From the Alliance? The Empire? Someone?"

"They're jamming all long range transmissions." Kanan replied. "We can't get a signal off planet."

"We've got incoming gunships!" Zeb shouted, causing Kanan to peek his head out of cover.

Sure enough, a trio of Mantis gunships were flying towards the government building, no doubt to continue the assault against the already battered building and beleaguered defenders.

But just before they could get into weapon range, a barrage of missiles appeared from nowhere, tearing each gunship apart. The remaining missiles impacted on the enemy lines, wiping out the Atlas mechs and killing scores of enemy soldiers.

"This is Commander Shepard to all remaining defenders." A calm and collected voice emerged over the comlink. "We are here to provide whatever assistance is needed." A dropship uncloaked above the government building and three figures dropped out, all clad in strange armor with a red stripe on his arm and an N7 symbol on his chest. "Let's drive these Cerberus bastards back to whatever hole they crawled out of."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Garrus muttered, as a sniper rifle appeared in his hands. "but I kinda missed killing Cerberus bastards."

...

After an hour, the battle was over. The Cerberus ships that had brought their forces to Onderon hadn't even last five minutes against the Normandy, and once that was done, taking out the Cerberus ground troops had been trivial.

Especially for the upgraded Normandy team, who were now wearing far more durable and maneuverable armor (equipped with jump jets for enhanced vertical and horizontal movement) and armed with weapons that effortlessly pierced kinetic barriers and even Guardian shields.

With their help, the Cerberus force was wiped out, with any survivors refusing to be taken alive. Despite the destruction, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been, and the government officials were left thanking the Jedi and Normandy for saving Iziz. Once that was done, the Ghost crew met up with the Normandy squad.

"Thanks for the assist." Kanan said. "But I'm guessing you weren't just in the neighborhood."

"That's an understatement." Vega muttered.

"We were hoping to meet with you again." The ex-Spectre replied, his helmet suddenly disappearing in less than a second. "Assuming you don't plan on turning us in."

"Given the state that Citadel Space is in at the moment, I don't think they care." Sabine replied, but Ezra's eyes narrowed.

"You know something about that." The young Jedi's eyes widened. "The Republic told you."

"If that's the case, then we're certainly interested in hearing this."

"You're not the only ones." Garrus replied.

"We need to speak with the Jedi Council." Shepard said simply. "There's some intel they need to hear."

...

The Ghost had escorted the Normandy to the Jedi Academy on Ossus. Or rather, the Normandy had immediately jumped to Ossus within a few minutes, allowing the Ghost to follow at the same speed through the Normandy's wake.

Once there, Kanan had explained the situation and was quickly given permission to escort the Commander to the Council chambers. Almost the entire Council was present, along with Leia and Han Solo. Once introductions were completed, Shepard wasted no time in giving them the briefing. Once he was done, he paused for a moment to let the weight of this news sink in.

"So Unitologists are responsible for this war." Kyle repeated. "Including redirecting those fleets to attack civilian targets?"

"That's the gist of it." Shepard nodded. "The Republic tried to tell them otherwise, but it seemed that no one wanted to or was willing to listen. We have to assume that Unitologists may have compromised most of the governments as well."

"That's a serious accusation." Corran said. "Do you have any proof?"

"It all fits." The Commander replied. "It's why the Council arrested me, why ONI's unraveling revealed all their secrets, and why no one wants to listen now. Someone wanted this conflict to happen and it's pretty easy to figure out who."

"If this is true, then we truly face dark times." Master Cighal said. "We must take action against these Unitologists."

"But how?" Master Solusar pointed out. "We can't present this without any proof."

"And most of our Order is tied up dealing with this war." Kyle noted. "Alongside trying to find the First Order leader and protecting the Monolith."

"The First Order will have to wait." Luke shook his head. "This is a much bigger priority." He focused his gaze on Shepard. "I'm assuming the Republic has their own people working on this?"

"Not as many as they would like." The ex-Spectre hesitantly said. "The Flood have been increasing their own activities as of late, forcing the two superpowers to divert their attention."

"What about those 'super kids'?" Han asked. "The ones who thwarted all those assassination attempts?"

"Classified." That got several raised eyebrows in response. "No seriously, I don't know. I'm not exactly privy to all the Republic's operations." Sensing he was telling the truth, Jaina moved on to another question.

"So, is the Normandy the only asset then?"

"The Normandy, and the Empire of the Hand." Idly, Shepard noted the slight tensing in several expressions, but chose not to comment. "They're more than willing to help however they can."

"Well, we can't exactly afford to ignore any allies we can get." Leia noted, to which Luke nodded.

"Indeed." He turned back to Shepard. "Commander, any intel you could give us would be appreciated. In the meantime, we do have some business to discuss among ourselves."

"Of course, Master Skywalker." Shepard nodded. "I'll have EDI assemble all the data you'll need." Once Shepard left, there was a moment of silence as the Council processed this.

"It seemz there is more turmoil in the Force than we thought." Master Sebatyne hissed. "Even after so long, the wounds left by the Flood has still not healed."

"And if this gets any worse, those wounds will reopen." Master Barratk'l said. "We cannot afford any hesitation."

"Yet we cannot ignore a dagger poised at our back." Corran noted. "The First Order, Shadow Collective and Banished could end up causing far more destruction than we need."

"Not to mention Cerberus." Master Octa Ramis said. "If what Ben said is true, then it seems they are allied with the First Order."

"And if that's the case, then Allana may be in danger." Kam Solusar noted. "That facility was found in Hapan space after all."

"Then we need to warn the Queen Mother." Leia stepped forward, her worry evident. "And if necessary, get Allana somewhere more secure."

Luke knew that the Solos were worried for their granddaughter, and truthfully, he was worried too. He agreed that Han and Leia should go to Hapes in order to determine the appropriate actions, and the two Solos left the chamber. Just in time for Shepard to come back with all the data for the Jedi.

...

After the two Alliance heroes made their way onto the _Millennium Falcon_ , and took off almost immediately after they were aboard, one of the non-Jedi technicians in the academy took a break and headed back to his own quarters.

Once there, the Chadra-Fan activated a sound dampening device before pulling out a long range-transmitter. Encrypting the message to ensure no one could decode it, the technician sent a single message.

"The targets are on the move." The technician said. "Everything is proceeding as anticipated."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this admittedly short chapter. Sorry if it feels a little disjointed, I lost some of the work I had done to a glitch and wanted to fix it as quickly as possible, which is why Shepard's arrival at Onderon feels so rushed.**

 **Regardless, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	18. New Ally

**And now we get to the next chapter. To recap, the civil war between the IDA is still going strong, while the forces of the First Order, Shadow Collective and Banished wait in the background to make their move. Meanwhile, Shepard has made contact with the Jedi, who have offered to help him in their hunt for Unitologists.**

 **With that out of the way, let's dive right in. This chapter will be focusing on a certain character who's been out of contact for a while. If you haven't already, you might want to read the Catalog of War chapter regarding Sera, as it pertains to this one.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, or Mass Effect.**

* * *

It was becoming routine, Maul noted, for these meetings between the alliance. Ever since the IDA fractured into open warfare, they had been holding these meetings as more and more planets were consumed in flames.

And in spite of it all, their operations had still been left mostly untouched. Oh they'd been caught in the crossfire occasionally and suffered minor collateral damage, but it was really beginning to look like they'd be the ones left standing and in control once this was all over.

Naturally, Maul didn't believe for an instant that it would be that easy to rule everything, but it really did seem like it would. Some might call him paranoid, and they weren't technically wrong, but the Sith Lord had good reason to be wary, especially with the superpowers and the Flood still running around.

"Karrde and Terrik will be useful to our goals." Snoke was saying, drawing Maul's attention back to the conversation at hand. "They have connections to the underworld that we still lack."

"They'll never join us willingly." Maul replied. "They have close connections to the Jedi. Terrik's son-in-law and his grandchildren are Jedi themselves in fact. We will certainly have to take them by force."

"And that will be easier said than done." Atriox nodded. "Both of them constantly move around, with Terrik rarely leaving that Star Destroyer of his. Tracking them will not be easy."

"Then perhaps we should use those Jedi connections to our advantage." Hux suggested. "If we target the Jedi themselves, we will force them out of hiding."

"There is a certain wisdom in that." 'Volir said. "One way or another, the Jedi need to be dealt with sooner rather than later. If this can also accomplish drawing at least Terrik out of hiding, it's all the more reason we should."

"If we can find them." Savage countered. "They've learned from Order 66, and aren't going to just stay in the same easily assaulted place. Especially with the multiverse at war."

"The Jedi are not the main threat anyway." Maul resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing that a 'true Sith' would never say that. "It's the superpowers and the Parasite that we must truly prepare for."

"So you say." Snoke replied. "But exactly what do you plan to do about them? What suggestions do you have to deal with them now?" Maul didn't have an answer. "Exactly. So while I do appreciate your concern, for the time being, I suggest we focus on problems that we can actually deal with."

"Might I recommend that we first try to actually _find_ the Jedi?" Vestara Khai spoke up. "That's obviously a better start, don't you think?"

"And where would we look?" Atriox asked, his tone not hostile, but merely curious. "Their temple on Coruscant has been abandoned, and their computers were almost certainly wiped. Of course, that requires getting onto Coruscant in the first place."

"There are other planets affiliated with the Jedi." Vestara replied. "Kashyyyk hosted the Order during the Second Galactic Civil War, and there are many other historical worlds that we will have to check."

"Then I suppose we shall get started on that." Maul sighed. "I will order scout teams to deploy to those locations at once."

"And until we find them, we stick to our current operations." Atriox looked pointedly in the First Order's direction. "We don't need the IDA focused on us."

With an annoyed glance, the First Order holograms disconnected. Moments later, the Banished holograms did the same. After taking a moment, Maul turned back to his commanders.

"I want scout ships prepared immediately." The Zabrak said. "Scour the locations that we took from the data in Sidious' vaults. And get Locus in here at once. He will prove most useful in this endeavor." There was a flurry of action as they moved to what they were told. But after a moment, there came a brief spike of fear, coming from the operator who had contacted Locus, which the Sith was quick to notice.

"Is there a problem?"

"My lord, we can't find Locus anywhere." The soldier winced at the narrowed yellow eyes. "Last known contact with him was weeks ago, during the Conquest of Sera-HURK!" The controller gasped as he was lifted into the air and clutched at his neck.

"And why am I just hearing about this now?" Darth Maul's voice lowered an octave. "One of our most successful soldiers is missing, and I'm only learning of this weeks later?"

"We thought he was lost during the fighting." The Zabrak turned to the familiar voice of his brother, who's eyes and face were looking down. "I assumed that he was in the tunnels when they collapsed."

Maul dropped the struggling controller without ceremony and stared at his brother for a long moment. Then in an instant, his hands whipped forward and forks of lightning crawled up the Nightbrother's body, who fell to the ground screaming in agony. After ten seconds of this barrage, Maul let up.

"I am disappointed in you, apprentice." Despite the pain, Savage winced even more at both the term 'apprentice' and the anger and sadness in his brother's tone. "Locus knows a significant number of our operations, which makes him a liability." Maul wasn't even looking at his brother now. "You have made an error, Savage. And you will fix it. Immediately."

"As you command." Savage struggled to his knees, but instead of rising, he bowed his head lower. "My Master."

Without another word, Savage then rose to his feet, turned and left the bridge. Taking a deep breath, Maul turned towards the rest of the bridge crew. "Continue with your endeavors, and find the Jedi." The crew immediately did what they were told, leaving the Sith alone with his thoughts.

He wondered where Locus was, what exactly took him away, and whether or not he'd have to die for his failures. Security measures would have to be updated of course, in case the inevitable happened. Darth Maul wasn't a fool, he was aware of Locus' eroding resolve and knew that sooner or later, he would become a liability.

But it seemed that that time had come sooner than he had thought.

* * *

Locus was covered in blood and injuries, strung up as he was by an anti-gravity field. The Unitologists who'd captured him from Sera had spent the last few weeks interrogating him for information, using a variety of different and all the more painful methods.

He wasn't sure when he broke, but it was likely after the realization that nobody would come to rescue him. If the Shadow Collective actually cared enough to find him, the only reason would be to kill him before he could talk. And with Felix and Siris dead, there was no one else who gave enough of a shit about him to rescue him.

So, he eventually told them everything he knew, every operation he had performed for the Shadow Collective, and anything he knew about Omega's security measures to them. After that was done, they left him alone, with his only company being the emptiness inside him.

So when the sound of blasterfire and screaming emerged from beyond his cell door, he just slightly perked up at the fight, hoping that he may very well get a chance to leave. After the fighting stopped, his hope briefly flickered when he saw white armored Stormtroopers opening his cell door, his first thoughts jumping to the idea that the First Order was here to kill him.

But he quickly noticed the difference and realized that the Stormtroopers were the standard variety from the Imperial Remnant and the from the Empire of the Hand. So, it was unlikely they would kill him on the spot. Whether that changed when they knew who he was remained to be seen.

"By the Force." One of them said, lowering his weapon at seeing Locus.

"Cut him down from there." A female voice came from another trooper. "And contact the Commander. Tell him we have a survivor."

The rest of the conversation was a blur as Locus was removed from his restraints while a medic looked over his wounds. All the while, he was left just wondering who it was that rescued him.

Everything went dark just as two figures dressed in far different armor appeared right above him.

...

"This is him?" Shepard asked, his helmet retracting as he peered closer to the prisoner. "Damn, what did the Unitologists do to him?"

"It's unclear at this time." EDI said, her voice in his ear. "I am still in the process of recovering the data from networks."

"Any progress?"

"Nothing yet, the Unitologists were rather thorough." The AI sounded frustrated. "I may be able to recover the prisoner manifest, but it's too soon to tell."

"Copy that, keep me posted."

Shepard sighed, looking over the barely alive man. After the meeting with the Jedi, the Normandy had been cruising through former IDA territory, avoiding the bulk of the conflict and hunting down Unitologist bases, with the occasional aid of forces from the Empire of the Hand, just like today.

"He feels familiar." Ventress murmured. Shepard turned to her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"His presence is someone we've met before." Her brow was furrowed. "I think it was- on Omega."

"Omega?" Shepard's narrowed as he peered closer to the man's face. "Keep him restrained. If he was on Omega during the Shadow Collective takeover, then he could be a goldmine for us." The medic nodded, just as the comm chimed again. "What do you have for me, EDI?"

"A possible location for the Unitologist stronghold." The AI replied. "We have the coordinates, deep in Wild Space."

"Contact Admiral Parck, let's see if he'd like to join us." The Commander ordered. "Anything else?"

"I have also managed to identify the prisoner. Ventress is correct, it is indeed someone we know." EDI paused briefly, likely for deliberate dramatic effect.

"It's Locus." Shepard's eyes widened, then a dark smirk crossed his face.

"Ok, this just got more interesting."

...

Locus slowly drifted back into consciousness, and attempted to open his eyes. A bright light obscured his vision and he closed them again, blinking as everything slowly came into focus. Idly, ambient sounds of medical equipment could be heard, and to his left he saw a figure standing above him. The merc stared when he realized who it was.

"Well, well, well." Shepard crossed his arms. "Samuel Ortiz, better known as Locus. You look like you've seen better days."

"Where-" Locus tried to move, but found his arms and legs restrained to the bed by force fields. "Where am I?"

"Take a guess." Shepard said simply. "After all, you and your bosses went to a lot of effort to get me out of my ship."

"I was just following orders..." Locus trailed off, not even believing his own rationalizations anymore. Judging by his snort, neither did Shepard.

"Keep telling yourself that." The Commander turned for the exit. "I'm sure they'll be quite interested in hearing whatever excuse you have."

"There's no need to wait." Shepard turned at Locus' proclamations. "You want information on the Shadow Collective? I'll tell you everything I can."

"Really?" Shepard drawled. "And why would you be so willing to do that?"

"Because I'm a monster." Locus' finally admitted the truth to himself. "I've been a monster for so long. I-I want to change that."

"And you think your sins will be forgiven, just like that?"

"I know they won't." Locus shook his head. "I'm not asking for forgiveness. I want to make this right. I'd rather not have to do it from inside a jail cell." Shepard was silent for a moment, then looked to the other side of the bed.

"Ventress?"

"He's telling the truth." Locus turned as the Nightsister approached from the other side of the bed. "He does genuinely want to help us."

"I suppose I'll give you a chance then." Shepard approached once more and tapped a control console. The fields restraining Locus deactivated and the merc gingerly sat up, rubbing his wrists absentmindedly. "Don't make me regret it."

To punctuate that statement, one of Ventress' blades sprang to life with a snap-hiss, centimeters away from Locus' head. The merc nodded slowly, before looking Shepard in the eye.

"What do you want to know?"

...

Unfortunately, Locus wasn't able to contribute as much information as they had hoped. Darth Maul had Omega move around quite a bit, so determining its location at any given time was a bit of a tricky endeavor.

Likewise, the location of Shadow Collective and Banished bases were useful to know, but with recent events, the superpowers didn't have time to do it themselves, and the IDA was non-existent, with the powers still trying to kill one another.

As for their alliance with the First Order, well that was hardly a surprise at this point, but yet again, it didn't help all that much in the grand scheme of things. For the moment, the ex-Spectre was left feeling a bit frustrated at the situation in general.

With the former IDA at war with each other, it allowed the criminal alliance to seize power uncontested by the more legitimate governments. The Republic and Separatists certainly had the power to stop the war with relative ease, but the Flood's efforts focused much of their attention elsewhere, and most of the agents they had left (like the Normandy) were forced to prioritize Unitologists instead.

They were hoping that with their influence gone, the civil war might calm down, which was a likely possibility given how actually low-key the whole war was, but at the moment, it felt like they were no closer to that goal.

Especially with the criminal alliance in the background. Shepard knew that the Flood were the far greater threat, but his experience during the Reaper war also taught him that it wouldn't be wise to leave a smaller organization unhindered. It usually meant that they'd end up fucking things up for everyone.

Regardless, Locus had given him what he could, and they had cataloged all the data in the hopes of eventually putting it to good use. But after their interrogation, Locus had made a surprising request.

"I'm sorry, I think there's something wrong with my hearing." Shepard did a double-take. "I could've sworn you just said that you wanted to join my crew."

"Considering everything that's happening, you need all the help you can get." The merc replied. "I want the Unitologists dealt with as much as you do."

"Then you scarper back to Maul like a good little dog." Ventress interjected, sarcasm dripping from her tone. "Begging for his forgiveness of course."

"I've been planning to leave his employ for a while now." Locus said bluntly. "Of course, I'm guessing the severance package of a Sith is quite literal," He half-turned to Ventress. "Something I imagine you'd be familiar in." Ventress' eyes narrowed, but Locus already turned back to Shepard. "At any rate, considering what I've told you, I'm already a dead man if I go back."

"You really thing I'd trust you just like that?" Shepard scoffed. "After you dragged me to my execution?"

"You're working with her." Locus jerked his thumb over his shoulder, causing Ventress to shrug. "And I know you've worked with people like Subject Zero and those other Cerberus operatives. Not to mention Zaeed Massani. Am I really so different?"

Shepard was silent for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of this line of thought. There were quite a few cons he could think of, and not a lot of pros. And yet, he couldn't deny that more help could be useful, at least for the time being.

It was tempting, oh so tempting, to just have him locked up to deal with later. Shepard knew that many others on his crew would certainly have done just that, but he couldn't will himself to do that, at least not at the moment.

"Very well, then." The Commander said, before raising a finger. "But make no mistake, if you abuse my hospitality and turn on us, I will personally gun you down myself." For his part, Locus simply nodded without changing expression.

"Understood."

* * *

After that meeting, they quickly found a place to put Locus where he could be watched easily enough. It wasn't a prison cell precisely, but it wasn't exactly roomy either, and the room could be sealed and the atmosphere vented at a moment's notice.

Once that was done, Shepard gathered the rest of the combat team in the war room and told them what he had done. Unsurprisingly, the reactions were across the board: Javik, Garrus and Ashley were all for throwing Locus out the airlock, while EDI and Vega were more willing to forgive, but even they advocated harsher treatment.

Surprisingly though, it was Ventress who actually advocated for him to stay, and was even sympathetic to his circumstances.

"He's lost anything and everything he might've cared about." She said. "The truths and ideals he was previously clinging to have been completely deconstructed for him, and he really has nowhere else to go."

"You sound familiar with that." Shepard crossed his arms. Ventress turned to him, a melancholy look in her eyes.

"I've been where he is." She said quietly. "In many ways, I've been worse than he ever was." There was a brief moment of quiet before Shepard spoke again.

"Bottom line, we're taking him with us on the next mission. What happens after that remains to be seen. And make no mistake, if it even looks like he'll betray us, do not hesitate to gun him down." Once he got affirmations from everyone, they moved the topic to their next mission.

"The Empire of the Hand has located another Unitology base in the sector." A hologram appeared, showing a rather idyllic looking world. "Taanab, a farming world that supplies quite a number of planets. Unfortunately, it's currently under heightened security thanks to the civil war, and if they approach as they are, this will almost certainly summon reinforcements from the GA."

"What's the planet's allegiance?" Garrus asked.

"Nominally, they're a member of the Galactic Alliance, but they obviously don't want a part in this war."

"No one does." Ashley muttered, causing more than a few heads to nod in agreement.

"Nevertheless, an Imperial fleet in orbit will be cause for alarm, so we're doing this quietly." Shepard continued. "The Normandy can get us in undetected."

"What's our target?" Vega asked.

"An old industrial complex, somewhere close to the spaceport." The ex-Spectre said. "It's been mostly abandoned for years, something about an incident involving a Jedi and a mutant rancor." He shrugged at the confused looks. "Whatever the case, apparently some previously unknown company has bought it. And considering EDI found comm records in the last base, it's safe to say we're getting close."

"Our usual procedure then?" Garrus asked.

"More or less. We'll be there in two hours, so be prepared when the time comes."

...

Two hours later, the team was gathered in the dropship, with one extra passenger who was being watched with extra suspicion. Locus sat at the far end of the troop bay, seemingly paying no mind to the glares being sent his way.

He was clad in his old armor, which had been recovered by Shepard's crew when they found him. His weapon was an old UNSC era sniper rifle, which had been one of the spare weapons the Republic had gifted them. Despite its age, it was still capable of taking the head off a shielded opponent with one shot.

Like a professional, Locus checked over his rifle and armor, making sure they were in working condition. The others did the same, still shooting glances in his direction. Fortunately, the awkward moment was interrupted by Cortez.

"Two minutes till touchdown."

With that order, the team got focused on the mission at hand, and soon they disembarked on a building just across the street from their target, the dropship's cloaking device keeping anyone from noticing.

"Alright, you all know your roles." Shepard said over the TeamCom. "Garrus, Locus, you two are setting up a sniper position here, keep an eye out for anyone who might interfere." The Commander gestured to the rest of the team. "Everyone else, we're making our way inside. Hopefully we can take this place with minimal damage."

There were several snorts at that, but no one had anything else to add. Activating their cloaks as well, the team silently made their way down, while Garrus and Locus did as requested.

Idly, the latter took note of just how trusting Shepard was: any other leader would probably have kept him locked in the brig permanently, and certainly wouldn't allow him to go on a mission so quickly.

That wasn't to say they trusted him fully: each of his weapons had an explosive charge implanted in them. If he attempted to shoot Shepard or any of the Normandy ground team, the charges would destroy the weapon and likely blow his hands off in the process. Still, it was far more trust than he had any right to.

That was when Locus noticed a flicker of movement to the right. Several black armored figures made their way through the alley next to the building, exiting out of Locus' sight. Frowning, the sniper rewound his helmet footage, pausing when the soldiers were in frame. He knew their armor looked familiar: Inferno Squadron, one of the First Order's most efficient special forces teams.

"We may have a problem." Locus activated his comms, causing Garrus to glance at him. "First Order soldiers just entered the building. It's Inferno Squadron."

"Good to know." Garrus activated his comm and gave the same warning to the team. Once he was done that, his sidearm was out and aimed at Locus. "I don't suppose you want to tell me why they're here?"

"How would I know?" Locus sighed. "If I was still working with them, do you really think I would've told you they're here?"

"Call it a precaution." Garrus lowered his sidearm after a moment. "You think they're here alone?"

"Doubtful. They likely have reinforcements nearby." Locus shook his head. "No Shadow Collective or Banished forces though. The First Order tended to keep their operations to themselves."

"I wonder why." Garrus drawled. "So, I guess it's just a matter of waiting until-" There was the brief sound of an explosion from the alley that Inferno Squadron had went through. "-that. Well, so much for stealth."

* * *

Once again, the Normandy crew found their efforts at a quiet infiltration hadn't gone so well. Unlike their normal operations though, this definitely wasn't their fault. Though how the First Order knew about this place was another question entirely.

Shepard wanted to blame bad luck, but considering their team's recent addition, well... it would explain a few things. Shaking his head, Shepard pushed those thoughts from his mind as he focused on the events at hand. Locus' potential betrayal would keep for later.

Fortunately, it seemed that the First Order was here for the Unitologists rather than the Normandy. Unfortunately, it just made their mission that much harder, as the First Order was already killing their way through the base.

And it wasn't just Inferno Squadron here either. A whole platoon of Shadow Troopers, Terror troopers and Storm Commandos were assaulting their way into the stronghold, cutting down Unitologists as they arrived, creating a light show in the air.

Needing to get to the leaders of this group first, Shepard gave the order to attack, and the room was lit up even more, as the Republic issued weapons flared, leaving wispy ion trails as they flew through the air, tearing through the First Order special forces with ease.

Iden Version quickly noticed that their flank had been compromised, and called for Phase Zero Dark Troopers to bring them down. The roof above exploded in a shower of shrapnel, and several Dark Troopers immediately leapt down.

However, not all of them made it: their location on the rooftop had made them a prime target for enemy snipers, which Garrus and Locus were more than happy to capitalize on, the former's rifle effortlessly punching through their armor.

Locus' rifle wasn't nearly as powerful, but he made up for that by targeting the jump packs used by the Dark Troopers, either sending them flying or causing them to explode. By the time the Dark Troopers landed on top of Shepard's team, their number had been cut in half.

Of course, that still left at least ten heavily enhanced and armored cyborgs in their midst. A few months ago, this would've been a bit more of a challenge, but with Republic issued armor and weapons, it really wasn't.

Ventress was the first to move, cutting down one Dark Trooper with her lightsabers before throwing another two aside. Javik immediately hit one with Dark Channel, the biotic energy warping the cyborg's armor and allowing the Prothean to make great use of his particle rifle.

Vega's shields absorbed an arc caster blast, and he retaliated with precise fire, his assault rifle punching through the cyborg's armor. Meanwhile, Ashley ducked underneath one Dark Trooper's swing and punched it in the stomach, denting the armor and causing the trooper to stagger back. Ashley capitalized on that and riddled the damn thing with holes.

Shepard gunned down the last one, then leapt up to a nearby catwalk, his jump jets increasing his jump height and allowing him to land in front of the three members of Inferno Squadron.

The three raised their weapons, Hask the quickest thanks to his mechanical arm, and immediately opened fire. But Shepard deployed his arm mounted energy shield, absorbing the combined blaster fire with ease.

With his other arm, he rolled a small cylinder towards them, which Iden noticed and the three leapt away. Unfortunately for them, they didn't make it in time and were caught up in a stasis field.

"I'll deal with you guys later." Shepard said as Ashley and Ventress leapt up to the catwalk as well.

The three of them quickly made their way to the main control room, where Ash planted a briefing charge, blasting the door off its hinges. Asajj swiftly moved into the room, deflecting blasts and hurling soldiers aside with the Force.

Shepard and Ashley followed seconds after, accurately shooting down Unitologist guards with ease. Very quickly, the only one left alive was the commander of the base, who was being held aloft by Ventress. Behind him was a massive holoscreen.

The image on the screen showed a map of the Hapes Cluster, with multiple red lights marking several locations in the cluster, some on planets and several others in space. One of the latter though, was blinking green.

"You're too late." The Unitologist laughed in spite of the Nightsister's grip on him. "You are far, far too late."

"What are you doing here?" Shepard demanded as Ventress pulled the man closer. "What is this about?" He pointed to the screen.

"It's too late." He shook his head. "The master's return is at hand."

* * *

 **Well, that's certainly an ominous cliffhanger. What did the Unitologist mean? You'll just have to find out in the next chapter. Suffice to say however, the next chapter will have major ramifications, not just for this story, but every subsequent one.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and reviews are always welcome.**


	19. Black Demon

**And now we begin the next chapter. Suffice to say, this is where shit officially hits the fan for this story. How, you may ask? Well you'll just have to read on to find out.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Metroid or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

The room was barely illuminated, the few light sources in the large chamber having been running on minimal power or covered in green-yellow biomass. The two figures within didn't need any light to see however.

One figure was clad in black armor with glowing blue lights on it, kneeling before the second figure. The massive eyeless head was motionless while a single tentacle emerged from the dark, holding a holographic screen.

The image of a young red-haired woman was on the display, a profile picture from multiple intelligence agencies. The armored being looked at the image, the blue visor staring at the woman.

" **You know what you must do.** " The head elected to finally speak. " **Bring her to me.** "

The armored figure nodded and stood up. A blue-white portal appeared in front of her, radiating energy outward. The armor floated through, absorbing the power as the rift closed behind her, leaving the room once again shrouded in darkness.

...

Tenal Ka was feeling anxious, even more so than usual. Ever since the IDA conflict started, the Queen Mother and the Chume'da were constantly being moved around the Hapes Cluster, to keep assassins from locating them and using the war as an opportunity to assassinate the Queen Mother and her heir.

Of course, it wasn't just enemies from outside the Consortium that they had to worry about, it was also enemies from within. Which was why the two had been moved to where they were.

It was a space station, designed and retrofitted to the Queen Mother's specifications in order to provide a shelter for the Hapan leadership in times of peril. Like a palace in the stars, it was outfitted with all the luxury and defenses that the leader of the Hapes Consortium could ask for, and defended by a loyal fleet and legions of bodyguards.

And yet, Tenal Ka didn't feel any safer here, let alone that Allana was also protected.

So, when Han and Leia appeared with the _Falcon_ and some Noghri and requested taking Allana somewhere safer, Tenal Ka was almost eager to jump at the chance to get her daughter to a more secure location.

"I can't say I don't agree." Tenal Ka said, as the Solos met up in one of the station's meeting halls. "But I have to ask why now?"

"With the civil war, and the fact that a Cerberus base was found on the outskirts of the Consortium, we can't be too cautious." Leia replied. "And I can tell you feel the same."

"Indeed I do." The Queen Mother nodded, then turned to the young red-haired woman sitting in the room as well. "But that is not my call to make alone."

"Where would we go?" Allana asked. "The Jedi Academy?"

"As a stopping point." Han replied, looking at Leia as she looked at him and nodded. "But considering our talk with Commander Shepard, we may try to take our chances in Republic territory."

"You think they will let you go there?" Tenal Ka was surprised. She knew enough about the multiversal superpowers to know how territorial they were.

"We haven't confirmed it yet." Leia replied. "But given everything, it seems likely that they would aid us." At that moment, Taryn Zel interrupted, having gotten a call on her comlink.

"Apologies for the intrusion, Queen Mother." The red-haired bodyguard said. "But we're tracking a StealthX on approach. It's IFF is open and broadcasting that Jaina Solo is aboard." Surprised, the three Force-sensitives in the room reached out and found that the ship indeed contained Han and Leia's daughter.

"What's Jaina doing here?" Han asked, surprise and confusion masked fairly well. "I thought she was still on Ossus?"

"Well, we can always ask her." Leia suggested.

...

Once Jaina had landed, the rest of the Solos and extended family met up with the Jedi Council member (after she had gone through security measures of course), though it was quickly clear that she hadn't stopped by for a social call.

"Jaina? What are you doing here?"

"Uncle Luke sent me." Jaina replied, shaking her head. "Thanks to Shepard, we have reason to expect an attack here sooner rather than later."

"By whom?" Tenal Ka asked.

"Unitologists." The Jedi Master replied. "Long story short, Shepard and his crew came across a Unitologist base, with this location marked on a holomap."

"That's not a good sign." Han muttered.

"There's more." The younger Solo continued. "There's reason to believe that someone tracked the _Falcon_ here." That got several pairs of eyes widening.

"How can you be sure?" Leia asked.

"Because I tried calling the ship directly. No luck." Jaina shook her head. "The signal was being jammed."

"Then they're already coming." Tenal Ka noted. "We need to evacuate immediately."

Unfortunately, their hopes of leaving before an enemy arrived was dashed almost immediately as the station was rocked by an explosion. The Noghri and Hapan guards immediately looked around, their senses alert.

...

Moments ago.

A blue-white portal opened in the middle of a crowded room, close to the engineering sector. This didn't go unnoticed and security troopers were marshaled to intercept the attacker.

Unfortunately, the black armored figure emerged from the rift and, ignoring the blaster bolts that splashed over it, sprayed the room with a wave of blue bolts from the figure's arm cannon, cutting through everyone effortlessly, soldiers and civilians alike.

Blast doors closed, attempting to seal the intruder in, but a missile effortlessly shattered it, and the dark figure floated through the gap, making a way through the palace and killing anyone the came across it.

...

Alarms started blaring, signaling an enemy arrival and recommending evac procedures. It was at that moment that Zekk, Jedi Knight, personal friend of the Solos and Taryn's husband, emerged from a nearby hallway.

"What's going on?" Allana asked her fellow Jedi.

"We have to leave, right now." Zekk said. "We have an intruder in the palace."

"How did they get onboard?" Taryn asked. "How did someone bypass the defenses?"

"Interdimensional portal." Zekk replied. "Right onto the station. We only found out after it arrived."

"Where are they?" Tenal Ka stood up, pulling her saber hilt into her hand. "What are they after?"

"I think it's pretty obvious." Han pointed out as he drew his blaster. "They're after one of you."

"Where are the rest of the guards?" Leia had also drawn her lightsaber.

"All dead." Taryn replied, having checked her comlink. "We have to evacuate everyone right now."

"Very well." Tenal Ka nodded. "Contact the fleet. Let them know that we'll need reinforcements to-"

"They won't be able to stop Dark Samus." The name sent a chill up all of their spines.

"Could you repeat that?" Leia asked carefully, unconsciously clenching her lightsaber hilt.

"We've managed to identify the attacker." Zekk replied. "Profile is an 89% match to Dark Samus."

That was far more worrying for several reasons: it would likely take complete destruction of the palace to actually hurt the Phazon clone, but more specifically, if Dark Samus was here, that meant that the Flood specifically wanted something from them.

"Get to the landing bay." One of the Noghri guards ordered. "We will cover your escape as long as possible."

"That's a one way trip." Han protested.

"We will do our duty." The guard declared. "Now go, all of you!"

With a brief moment of hesitation, the Solos and the Hapan leadership did as the guards suggested, while the Noghri got set up to block the path. They didn't have to wait very long before Dark Samus blasted apart one of the blast doors keeping the hallways locked down.

Several Noghri guards moved in against the Black Demon, willing to die in order to protect their charges. Unfortunately for the deadly species, dying was the only thing that they could do against this opponent.

The 'fight' was over in less than a minute. After that, the dark clone of the ex-Bounty Hunter scanned the walls, searching for her prey and immediately finding them. Without warning, she started blasting further into the palace, her alien eyes zeroed in on the targets.

...

"We've detected a Phazon signature in the Hapes Cluster."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Then you know what you need to do."

...

The gathering of Solos and family friends made their way through the station, progress much slower than they would like. Due to Dark Samus' rampage, the entire palace was undergoing power fluctuations, often cutting power to even the blast doors and forcing the Jedi present to cut through with their lightsabers.

The pace was too slow for Han's liking. He knew enough about their pursuer to know she made Boba Fett look like a cuddly chitlik. While the Corellian had never been one to care about the odds, even he had to admit their chances against Dark Samus were nonexistent.

They were only a few hallways away from the docking bay when their luck ran out. With a massive blast of fire and debris, one of the walls ahead shattered, and out of the dust floated their pursuer, looking like a wraith all the while.

The Hapan guards raised their blasters as Han mirrored them, already knowing how futile a gesture that would actually be. Behind him, he heard the snap-hiss of igniting lightsabers, and felt a small pang of satisfaction. If the Solos were going down today, they would go down together.

The black armored entity floated through the hallway, completely ignoring the blasterfire that impacted her. It was clear that she could take them at any time, but wanted to let them know they couldn't stop her.

That changed when a portal opened behind the Hapan leader and everyone paused to look at it, Dark Samus included. A blast of energy emerged from the rift and struck the Black Demon, actually sending her flying through the back wall.

Meanwhile, their savior emerged from the portal, revealing the orange and gold armor of the real Samus Aran. She ignored the weapons pointed in her direction, holding her arm cannon's aim at the hole.

"Get to safety." There was a brief pause where no one moved. "Now."

That got them moving again, and the Solos and Hapans got moving once more, finding a path around the debris while Samus cautiously approached the hole her nemesis had created. A blast of Phazon exited the hole, which Samus nonchalantly dodged by tilting her head, before firing a missile into the opening.

The blast knocked Dark Samus through another wall, sending her into a storage compartment filled with a number of large crates. Samus leapt in after her, unleashing a burst of beam bolts as Dark Samus cartwheeled out of the way, before floating into the air and creating a field around her.

Samus dodged and weaved around her doppelganger, firing off charged shots to overload the barrier. Beams and missiles emerged from her dark counterpart, as the old and familiar routine between the two reared its head once more.

For a brief moment, Dark Samus vanished from sight, forcing the Hunter to switch visors in order to keep track of her. It didn't take long to find her enemy again, though for a brief instant, it almost looked like there were two of them.

But then a blast of Phazon struck her, forcing Samus to roll with the impact, and upon recovering, fired off a charged blast that hit her opponent in the chest. Dark Samus barely flinched, and once again, Samus knew this wouldn't be an easy fight.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Solos and Hapans had arrived at the docking bay. Reluctantly, they decided to split up and go in separate directions: Tenal Ka would go in her own shuttle with most of her guards while Allana would be transported away in the _Millennium Falcon_.

While that was happening, Jaina, Zekk and several Hapans would remain behind in the event that Samus failed, buying as much time as they could to at least slow the Dark Hunter down. Han and Leia had protested, but were eventually convinced and goodbyes were exchanged for potentially the last time.

As the ramp to the _Falcon_ closed, it stuttered for a brief moment before rising smoothly.

...

The cargo bay hardly resembled what it had been like earlier. Crates had been shattered or melted and their contents spilled out onto the floor. Dark Samus struck a ten ton crate aside, throwing it like it was cardboard.

Unfortunately for her, she was struck by a pinwheel of yellow energy, staggering the dark being and allowing Samus to follow up with a Super Missile, which sent her flying. Of course, it didn't take long for her doppelganger to get up from that.

And for a brief moment, Dark Samus' blue visor flickered and turned black before coming back to normal. Samus quickly activated her scan visor and focused it on her doppelganger, while simultaneously fighting and avoiding her retaliation.

In an instant, she had her scanned and read the results, eyes widening behind her visor. She needed to end this, now. Activating her Zero Laser, she caught the Dark Hunter head on, the energy blast slowly disintegrating her and continuing onward, blasting a massive hole through the ship and even briefly piercing the hull before safety controls sealed the breach off.

Several Hapan guards quickly walked into the room, blasters up, only to lower them in relief when they saw who it was. Samus on the other hand, wasn't relieved and immediately had a question for the guard.

"Where are the Solos?"

"Does that matter?" The guard asked. "You have destroyed your doppelganger and kept the Queen Mother and Chume'da safe."

"That wasn't Dark Samus." The ex-bounty hunter replied. "She was destroyed too easily. It was a Dark Echo, a clone."

"Then where-" The young woman paused, her eyes widening. "She's at the landing pad, she and her mother were fleeing in separate ships."

"Alert Tenal Ka." Samus turned away as she said those words. "Tell her what's happening."

While she did that, Samus sprinted through the palace, using her X-ray visor and Speed Booster to make the quickest path to the landing area. The ex-Bounty Hunter didn't bother using the doors, instead electing to smash through any wall in her path.

But when she reached the docking bay, she saw that she was too late.

* * *

The cockpit was rather silent as the YT-1300 freighter rocketed away from the station. But despite the sullen mood, Han was relieved that at least his wife and and granddaughter were safe, though it pained him to leave Jaina behind.

Unfortunately, that relief vanished almost immediately. Suddenly, the two women tensed, which was never a good sign in Han's experience. His dread was confirmed by C-3PO's voice coming from the main room.

"Oh goodness, I-!" 3PO was abruptly cut off, causing the trio to run to him. Chills crawled up their spines when they arrived.

Dark Samus stood in the middle of _Falcon's_ main room, over the wrecked body of C-3PO. Han and Leia pulled out their blaster and lightsaber respectively, brandishing the weapons in what they knew was likely a futile gesture. But they sure as hell had no plans on letting this monster take Allana.

A Phazon bolt went straight through Han's chest, causing Allana to cry out in shock. Leia felt the shock in the Force, and it cost her dearly. She attempted to deflect the monster's next attack, but Dark Samus fired shards of Phazon shrapnel in a shotgun effect.

It took a moment for Leia's body to register what had happened, but after five seconds she collapsed to the ground, her lightsaber deactivating and tumbling from her hand.

Allana roared and charged, pulling out her own lightsaber, but the Dark Hunter simply took the blow before grabbing the redhead with her free hand. Allana struggled as a portal opened, but Dark Samus' grip was unrelenting as she dragged the prophesied Jedi Queen to the rift.

Before leaving, Dark Samus aimed her arm cannon in the direction of the _Falcon's_ core, firing off a Super missile as she entered before closing the portal.

...

Jaina knew something was wrong when she felt her parents vanish in the Force, which was only confirmed when Samus emerged from the station at super speed, not even bothering to wait for any doors to open. But it was the next event that all but shattered her.

Out in the void of space, the _Millennium Falcon_ exploded. Jaina felt her heart clench at the sight. She hadn't wanted to believe what she had felt when her parents disappeared from the Force, but now it was undeniable.

"Mom." She whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Dad."

Samus paused, her hand instinctively reaching towards the blast of light before pulling it away, clenching her fist. She looked over at the Jedi Master, unable to say anything else. And how could she?

She had failed.

...

Like most reports from Samus, she was direct and to the point, with only two words on the screen, a holdover from her Bounty Hunting days. Unfortunately, those two words were something they hadn't wanted to hear.

 _Mission Failed._

* * *

 **Well, that just happened. And yes, Han Solo and Leia are dead, and at the moment, they aren't likely to be resurrected. And when I said this is where shit hits the fan, I meant it. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out just why the Flood wanted Allana.**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	20. Beginning of the End

**And so we begin the next chapter. Suffice to say, this is really where things start to go to hell, not just for this story, but the entire multiverse at large. As for how and why, well, you'll just have to read on to find out.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Metroid or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Allana found herself in a cold and dark area, thrown by the strong arm of Dark Samus. The 'Jedi Queen' quickly noticed two things: the doppelganger of the former bounty hunter was nowhere in sight, and less than five meters away was a large amount of Flood biomass.

" **Do not be afraid.** " Multiple Flood forms appeared, surrounding Allana as the voice came from all of them. " **I am your salvation.** "

A wave of Force energy sent the Flood forms flying, but before she could attempt to capitalize on that, several tentacles emerged behind her and restrained the young Jedi. Barely able to turn her head, she still saw that the tentacles were pulling her into a large mass of Flood biomass.

" **Light or Dark, your destiny is intertwined with the Throne of Balance.** " Allana screamed as the tendrils dragged her into the Flood mass. " **You will show me where it hides!** "

The daughter of Tenal Ka and Jacen Solo was absorbed, her screaming echoing through the hall as the Flood tore her very thoughts from her, absorbing them into its own. The process was slow, and echoed through the Force, but the Flood didn't care in the slightest.

Allana's memories contained no information about the Throne's whereabouts, nor had the Gravemind expected her to know. It was her connection to the Force that would guide the Parasite, one which the Flood had hijacked.

It didn't take long to find it.

...

In the depths of space, a black, vaguely diamond shaped Monolith floated in the void between stars. This was the object containing Mortis, having drifted undisturbed since Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano stumbled upon it back during the Clone Wars.

That changed today.

There was a shimmer of purple light as a shape appeared close to the Monolith. The Force structure wasn't small, but it was still dwarfed in size by the Moon sized bioform that appeared right next to it.

The planet pulled the Monolith to it, wrapping tentacles around Mortis as the Neural transit caused the two structures to vanish. Seconds later, a Republic fleet arrived at the coordinates too late to stop them.

"What the hell just happened?" The Admiral in charge asked.

They had detected the Flood signature almost the instant it had appeared in deep space. There had been a confused reaction of course, given that the Flood hadn't gone for an inhabited planet, but they nevertheless followed their duty and moved to intercept.

Except for the fact that it had already retreated when they got there.

"I'm not sure, Admiral." His AI replied. "This doesn't match typical Flood behavior."

"It's not like the Flood have 'typical' behavior." The female turian sighed. "Alert the Supreme Commander, inform him of what's happened here."

...

Every Force-sensitive in the multiverse could sense when Allana was consumed. It was slow, pain emanating through the Force as Allana's life force was absorbed, her mind being torn apart memory by memory. In fact, the feelings almost seemed amplified, as if the Gravemind was taunting the Jedi with their failure.

The Jedi felt sorrow, with Luke in particular at the edge of despair with the thought that of losing his sister, his adopted brother, and now his grand niece. But at least it had been quick for the former two; this was far worse than any of the Jedi had felt.

And they were powerless to stop it.

...

Earlier

"Well, this is unfortunate." Maul growled. "I would've hoped that you'd be more cautious."

"How we were supposed to anticipate that the Normandy crew would show up?" Hux protested. "We couldn't have foreseen that."

"Couldn't you?" Atriox gestured to Snoke. "After all, don't you have precognition?"

"That's not how it works." Vestara protested. "The future is always in motion."

"Excuses, excuses." Laccabeus snapped. "The fact remains: Shepard has taken Inferno Squadron, most likely as prisoners. They may very well be able to take important information from them."

"And what do you suggest we do?" Snoke stood up, his hands clenching. "We've already taken the necessary precautions in case of an event like this."

"I suppose that it's up to you." Maul replied, while Savage ignited his lightsaber. "But make no mistake, we will not be happy if your slip comes back to us."

Vestara ignited her own saber, while Hux and Phasma drew their blasters. Maul's Darksaber ignited with a whistling tone, the black energy blade at his side. In response, Atriox drew Chainbreaker, its red blades activating and leaving a blood red glow. The bodyguards on all sides also drew their weapons.

"Perhaps we should focus on the positives." Everyone's eyes turned to Let 'Volir, who persisted despite the death glares aimed at him. "The Unitologist presence was dealt with, and the planet still remains amiable to your offer of protection." He gestured to Snoke. "Is that not true?"

There was a moment before the tension defused, with energy blades deactivating and weapons being returned to their holders. Even the air felt less charged, as the threat of violence was all but gone.

"I suppose that's true." Maul said. "Shepard's interference was but a momentary setback-" At that moment, the Sith Lord paused, his face twisting into a visage of revulsion and terror. It wasn't just him, though: Savage, Vestara and Snoke also had similar expressions.

"By the Force." Snoke muttered, looking like he was about to throw up. "What is that?"

"For those of us who aren't Force-sensitive." Atriox interjected. "What exactly is it that you're all feeling?"

"It's the Flood." Savage said, the color draining from his face and immediately drawing alarm from everyone else. "They're- they're-"

"The Gravemind has taken the Jedi Queen." Vestara shuddered, as Gar Saxon put his hand to his helmet. "How-how is that possible?"

"My Lord." Commander Saxon spoke, his own voice tight. "We've just received word from our spies: Dark Samus was apparently spotted in the Hapes Cluster."

"I suppose that would explain it." Laccabeus muttered.

"Why would they want her?" Snoke said. "Why would they want the daughter of the Queen Mother?"

"I can't be sure." Vestara said after a moment. "But if it knows of her destiny, then this could be a major problem."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Hux asked.

Nobody had an answer.

* * *

The capture of Inferno Squadron and the destruction of the Unitologist base hadn't exactly been the success they'd been hoping for. If anything, it seemed like the Unitologists had let their location be known, to distract from what they now knew had been their true operation.

The events in the Hapes Cluster were relayed to the Galactic Alliance almost immediately. But if the Jedi were hoping that the news of Dark Samus' incursion into the Hapes Consortium would do anything to halt the IDA's current conflict, they were greatly disappointed.

Shepard, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. The Unitologists had been building up tension over the last several years, and with the catalysts that had been given, well, he knew the war wouldn't be stopped so easily.

Of course, that's not to say that he was thrilled about that, but unfortunately, there still wasn't much even the Normandy could do to stop it. And judging by the recent events, they were about to have much bigger problem.

According to the Jedi Council (who were much more reasonable than the previous Council Shepard and his crew normally had to deal with), the most likely reason the Flood wanted Allana as because of her potential destiny as the Jedi Queen, and her apparent fate to sit upon the Throne of Balance.

"And what is the 'Throne of Balance' exactly?" Garrus asked. "Because I'm guessing it's not a judge's chair."

"Whoever sits upon the Throne of Balance commands the entirety of the Force itself." Luke said softly, still reeling from losing Han, Leia and now Allana. "The future has have been altered constantly, but one thing about the Throne has remained consistent: every vision that's been seen regarding the Throne has had Allana either sitting on it herself, or being a disciple of the one that is."

"And you think that's what the Gravemind wanted from her." Ashley surmised.

"It has to be." Jaina's hologram snapped. "It's the only explanation that would explain..." She trailed off, also effected by the loss of her parents, and the suffering of their granddaughter.

"We need to find Mortis." Kyp Durron interjected, his voice tinged with anger. "And keep that thing away from the Throne at all costs." EDI, who had been listening to the conversation, interrupted with a grave tone of voice.

"I fear it is too late for that." The AI said. "The Republic has reported that the Flood made an incursion into deep space in your galaxy, then retreated before the response fleet could arrive. Republic Command has come to the likely conclusion that the Flood may have taken the Mortis Monolith."

"Are you sure?" Master Katarn's concern was palpable. "Could they have truly found it so easily?"

"It would appear so." The AI shook her head. "Every source seems to indicate as such."

"Which then begs the concern," Shepard started, looking at the Jedi Council. "What would the Gravemind do if it got control of the Force?" Right on cue, that inquiry was answered.

The Force-users in question suddenly lost strength as they felt a familiar sensation: like the Great Flood War, the Force was being corrupted. But it was yet different, and it quickly became clear as to why.

The Force was being drained.

* * *

 **Another cliffhanger to end this chapter. Suffice to say, more detail on this will be continued in Accounts of the Flood Conflicts. In fact, the next major chapter for this story will take reference from those next ones. How? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. But suffice to say, this story will be going on a bit of a hiatus until that bit is finished.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	21. Flood Wave

**Alright and we finally come from the hiatus and onto this chapter. For the record, if you haven't read the latest story arc in Accounts of the Flood Conflicts, I would recommend doing so now, otherwise you'll be totally lost on everything that's happening. If you have read through it already, well, you know what's coming next.**

 **Anyway, to recap what happened last time: Dark Samus killed Han and Leia Solo, abducted their granddaughter Allana and gave her to the Gravemind, who used her to find the Throne of Balance. Subsequently, the Gravemind also obtained the Relics of Remnant, the Spear of Destiny and the Infinity Stones, using all of these artifacts to rebuild its old galaxy-sized body.**

 **And here's what happens next.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, or any other franchise that makes its appearance in this story.**

* * *

In orbit over Ossus

Onboard the Normandy, the members of Inferno Squadron were being interrogated by the crew. All three had been disarmed (and with Hask, that phrase was barely kept from being literal due to his cybernetic arm) and were kneeling on the floor with their hands behind their back.

Garrus and James were standing behind the trio, keeping a close eye on their hands to ensure that they didn't try to slip out of their bonds, while Shepard continued the interrogation, with Javik, Ventress and Locus on hand and willing to provide some 'persuasion.'

But despite their efforts, Iden Versio, Gideon Hask and Del Meeko refused to give up any meaningful information about the First Order, especially not the faction's home base. Before deciding to let the Prothean and Nightsister off their leash, Shepard decided to go for another line of questioning.

"How did you know about the Unitologist operation?" Shepard asked. "Who or what tipped you off?"

"Do you really believe we'd tell our enemy that?" Hask spat. "That you could ask politely and we'd just tell you everything? The stories really were true. You _are_ weak."

"Do your worst." Iden dared. "We will serve the Supreme Leader to the end."

"That can be arranged." Javik and Ventress said at the same time, but Shepard just sighed.

"Very well, we can do this the hard way." Shepard looked up at the ceiling. "EDI, send in the memory extractor." There was a flash of light, and suddenly, a strange headband appeared in the Commander's hand.

"Now, this little device will scan your mind and read it, giving us everything you know. This is your last chance to tell us everything willingly." Three defiant stares were all the answer they gave. Shepard sighed. "As you wish."

But before Shepard could put the headband on Iden, the laughter started. It was low, but a familiar noise that no one in the room could forget, not after hearing it from thousands upon thousands of horrific abominations. The laughter of the Gravemind echoed through the halls, this sound actually eliciting fear from Inferno Squadron along with the others in the room.

" **Do not be afraid. I bring unity. I bring peace.** "

"EDI, this better not be some kind of joke." Shepard warned, looking at the nearest holoprojector.

"I am unable to determine the source." The AI's avatar sprang up, sounding unnerved herself. "It seems to be coming from everywhere."

"Commander, we've got a problem!" Joker's voice came over the intercom. "Flood dispersal pods have appeared over Ossus."

"How did we not detect them?" Garrus muttered, as Shepard spoke up.

"What vector are they coming in from?" Joker's answer wasn't exactly pleasant.

"All of them."

...

The Jedi Temple found itself under a barrage of Flood forms as more and more dispersal pods rained through the atmosphere. Having been on edge due to the Flood's recent corruption of the Force, as well as having accepted the Republic's offer of hospitality, the Temple had already been in the process of evacuation when the attack began.

But the fact that they had gotten no prior warning besides the Gravemind's laughter, not from the Force, not from any other ground or space sensors, and not from the Republic itself indicated a number of possibilities, none of them pleasant.

And given the horde of Flood forms advancing on them at this very moment, those possibilities were being narrowed down to the worst ones. All over the Temple grounds, lightsabers ignited and blasterfire tore through the air, as the Parasite closed in.

" **From life's cruel embrace, I offer release.** "

"We need to evacuate, right now!" Luke shouted, sending a Force Push out that would normally have torn flesh from bone. At this point, all it did was knock a handful of them back a few meters. "We won't be able to hold the Temple any longer."

"Get to the transports!" Kyle shouted, but as soon as he said that, several rockets lanced out and smashed into the engines of the nearest transport, grounding the vessel. The firer, a Chadra-Fan dropped the weapon and raised his arms to the sky.

"The master has returned!" The Joyous shout was drowned out as the technician was swarmed by the Parasite, changing the Unitologist into one of them now.

More and more Flood forms landed, with Seeders and Infestors going after and corrupting airborne and ground vehicles, turning them against the people they had previously been protecting.

And all through the Force, one vision suddenly became clear to the Jedi, thrust into their minds: a multiverse of life consumed by the Parasite, with nothing but horrors beyond imagining.

A dark shadow approached the galaxy, dwarfing and consuming the billions of stars and trillions upon trillions of sentient life forms, leaving nothing but pain, suffering and misery in their wake.

This was the fate that awaited them all.

* * *

Wynn Dorvan watched helplessly as the Flood attack had begun. He was standing in his office, watching through the window as millions of drop pods fell to the surface. Behind him, several uniformed guards were standing over the bodies of loyalist GA Security, as the Unitologists had all but ensured that he could not escape.

Not that there was anywhere to go. For the first time ever, the Flood had landed on Coruscant. Millions of drop pods and spore capsules rained through the atmosphere, teleporting through the planetary shields.

GA military forces attempted to defend against this threat, but they were almost effortlessly overwhelmed as the Flood was quick to make use of all the biomass on Coruscant. Massive tentacles began emerging from the underlevels, several wrapping themselves around skyscrapers and crumpling them like cardboard.

The collapse of the IDA, the war with the UNSC, the Council and the other factions, the loss of the Solos. All that was pointless now. This had the potential to surpass the destruction wrought by the Great Flood war.

" **Resistance is hopeless, I will not be stopped,** "

"The master's return is at hand!" One of the Unitologists preached. "Glorious salvation for all!"

At that moment, the door to the Chief of State's office blew open, as precision blasterfire struck the Unitologists before they could muster themselves. A snap-hiss of an igniting lightsaber revealed the form of Yantahar Bwua'tu, who parried the blaster bolts of the surviving Unitologists back at them. Once they had fallen, the Jedi and the security squad turned to him.

"Chief, we need to go right now!" The Bothan grabbed his arm, but Wynn remained rooted to the spot. "Sir, we have to move."

"And go where?" Dorvan asked, his tone a touch hysterical. "How do we escape this?!" He gestured to the window.

"We have a bunker underneath the building." One of the guards replied. "We know that the Flood hasn't compromised it yet."

"Wynn please." Yantahar sent as much of a calming wave as he could through the Force. "We must see to your safety." Dorvan was silent for a long moment.

"Very well." He said at last, walking away from the window. "Lead the way."

The Bothan Jedi nodded and allowed the Security guards to lead the way, while simultaneously doing his best to ignore his own lingering doubts. And his effort was failing. Even through the Gravemind's corruption of the Force, he could still feel the loss of billions as they were consumed by the Parasite.

Coruscant was practically a buffet to them, and it was becoming quite clear that no aid would come. And it wasn't because the Flood was jamming transmissions, it was quite the opposite. Thousands upon thousands of distress signals from all over the Galaxy had been broadcasted into the Senate building, as it became clear that the current situation was hardly unique to Coruscant.

" **All will join the fold, whether willfully or not.** "

Yantahar could feel the Jedi fighting on Ossus, and it was clear that they were about to be overrun. But there was nothing the Alliance could do. There was nothing anyone could do.

When the superpowers had reported that the Flood had survived, the Senate had assumed that the Republic and Separatists had it well in hand. The Flood clearly wasn't as much of a threat as it had been during the Great Flood war, and even hoped that it's continued existence would keep the two of them busy.

And as they approached the Senate chambers, it became clear just how much that wish had cost them. The guards and Jedi stepped back, with the latter pushing Dorvan behind him.

The Flood had clearly breached the Hall, as thousands of unique combat forms were present aboard the repulsorlift pods. And as one entity, they turned to the small gathering that had mistakenly stepped through what they had thought was still a safe zone.

With a loud roar, the Flood leapt down.

* * *

Mandalore was under attack. The Parasite had appeared out of nowhere, bypassing the defensive fleets in orbit as well as doing their best to board them. On the ground, Mandalorian warriors fought against their infected brethren as mounds of Flood biomass hurled spores into the atmosphere, already starting to terraform the world.

Boba Fett watched a bombardment from several Canderous-class tanks as they unleashed their firepower against one of the Spore Mounds. While suffering from severe damage, the barrage failed to destroy it, and a massive Flood root tore its way out of the ground, grabbing one of the tanks and throwing it at another one.

" **The Flood has risen again, our chorus fills the night,** "

Meanwhile other Pure forms were launched out of the Flood pile, with several Infestors making their way to the tanks. As the Mandalor watched, one of the creatures latched onto a tank, tearing through the hatches and corrupting the screaming crew with tentacles, turning them into more biomass.

The corrupted tank immediately turned on its fellows, forcing several other Mandalorians to divert their attention. Boba himself launched a jetpack missile, contributing to the the tank's destruction.

It was a minor victory in the grand scheme of things: more and more Flood forms were still incoming, capsules of hardened biomass releasing their contents on the ground or in the atmosphere.

Boba was forced to activate his rocket pack when several combat forms landed near his position, forcing him to unleash more of his arsenal against these monsters while he was forced to retreat.

He hated doing this, hated having to fight these creatures. The Mandalorian in him was galled at the destruction they were carrying out, turning friend against friend, tearing families apart and forcing brother to fight brother.

" **Like water we ebb and flow, with no end in sight!** "

The worst part was how quickly they had blindsided them. There was no warning beyond the Gravemind's laughter, no preparation to be had against this onslaught, and if what little they heard was true, no possible way to get reinforcements.

Unless a miracle happened Mandalore would fall in less than a day.

* * *

Over the UEG Earth, the UNSC's Home Fleet and Orbital MAC platforms had stood guard, having been upgraded with Forerunner technology ever since the Great Flood War. The defenses were so heavy that any open attack against the planet was considered suicide by most of the IDA factions after their civil war started.

Then the Star Roads appeared in orbit and effortlessly shut all of them down at once. As Flood capsules began boarding the ships and platforms, countless more began the invasion of Earth itself.

" **Our numbers are infinite, we grow as I speak,** "

Air raid sirens had been intermingled with anti-aircraft fire, as the AI controlled defenses did what little they could to stem the tide. Like everything else, it wasn't enough, as many of them landed on the surface.

The UNSC had prepared plans for an attack by the Flood ever since they learned of the Parasite's existence, plans that had only become more comprehensive during and after the Great Flood War.

But this attack on such a scale was unprecedented. Lord Hood looked over the data, which wasn't as comprehensive as he would've liked due to ONI's dismantling, and knew that extreme measures had to be taken, and in fact were being taken at that moment.

The most infected cities would be targeted and destroyed by nuclear strikes in an effort to stem the Flood's advance. But deep in his heart, the Fleet Admiral knew that it was a futile gesture.

They couldn't even expect any chance of aid from the other colonies: from what reports they had heard, this wasn't an isolated incident. The Flood was everywhere, attacking on an unprecedentedly coordinated scale that even the Forerunners couldn't have pulled off.

The Gravemind had clearly left the comms open, letting the entire Human Sphere know just what fate awaited them. In fact, any attempt to cut off the broadcasts had been overwritten remotely.

The facility shook from a tremendous impact, causing Hood to check the security monitor. The Flood had apparently located the new HQ of HighCom, and they had already breached into the building proper.

Security teams led by some of the best Spartans and ODSTs held their ground, but even now Hood could tell it was a losing battle. The Admiral pulled out his sidearm, but hesitated, looking over the weapon.

 _It would be so easy._ He racked the slide. _Just pull the trigger..._

...

Arbiter Thel 'Vadam slid underneath the tank form's clumsy swing, carving it into two pieces with the Prophet's Bane. His movement flowed like water as he rolled to his feet, cutting down several combat forms as they tried to finish off what the other forms hadn't.

One by one, the Sangheili Kaidon took them down, as the battle devolved into a chaotic melee within his Keep. Angered and disgusted that the Parasite had broken into his home and attacked his planet, the Arbiter continued the battle as his guards did the same.

" **We are the young and the old, the strong and the weak.** "

All the while, Thel knew that all the Sangheili were doing was prolonging the inevitable. The sheer veracity and scale of the Parasite's attack had caught them all of guard, and the ships of the defense fleet above were already being forced to either self-destruct or inevitably turn against one another.

As the Arbiter kicked a stalker form off one of the balconies, he could see the _Shadow of Intent_ overhead, its weapons flaring as it took several corrupted ships out of the sky.

He knew Rtas would fight to the bitter end, just like any true Sangheili would. But in his hearts he knew that it would be a bitter end for the Sangheili. The Flood were clearly attacking everywhere, and with the IDA fractured, there was no way any of them could survive.

This was a thought that proved prophetic as a fresh wave of Flood pods appeared from the sky. Towering Abominations tore through Wraiths and Ghosts while Banshees were forced to take evasive action against Seeder forms.

And all around the Arbiter, Sangheilios burned.

* * *

The many factions that made up the now former InterDimensional Alliance found themselves at the complete lack of mercy exhibited by the Flood as they rampaged unchecked through space.

" **All life will soon fall, all will join the fold,** "

Colonies of the UCN fell almost effortlessly, their ISA defenses providing little protection and the Parasite was more than willing to turn said defenses against the UCN when they arrived to provide what aid they could.

In the United Systems region of space, the Colonial Marine Corps found themselves severely outnumbered, outgunned and outmatched by the size of the Parasite attacks. And many of the megacorporations found out the hard way that their money was all but worthless in the face of this onslaught.

The Galactic Federation had still not fully recovered from the Great Flood war, and while their military had managed to adapt and fought rather valiantly against the Parasite, they were still outmatched and were inevitably forced to sacrifice multiple worlds as they attempted to pick which planets to save.

Not that it really mattered in the long run. More often than not, defense fleets and military forces found the Flood bypassing them and targeting civilians, and by the time they could redeploy, they then found themselves under attack by the civilians they had intended to protect, with mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, daughters and sons turned against their families.

...

Throughout Citadel Space, the Parasite launched a savage attack, one of their main priorities being the Citadel. Almost as soon as they had boarded the station, the Flood had immediately taken control of the Mass Relay network, shutting them all down and keeping anyone from escaping.

Star Roads had also appeared in the Serpent Nebula, deactivating every ship that attempted to flee the station. The attack was so sudden that the Council had no time to evacuate, and it took very little time for them to overwhelm C-Sec and breach the bunker the Council was hiding in.

While the Citadel fell quickly, the worlds that made up the Council governments had no intention of doing the same. The Turians refused to retreat and fought against annihilation with the same determination they always had. Even with their fleets crippled and their very infrastructure under attack, the military arm of Citadel space continued to fight on.

The Asari and Salarians, however, were caught more flat-footed. Even as steeped in war footing as they were due to the IDA civil war, the Flood's unexpected attack sent them scrambling to face it.

This left many other species vulnerable, with the Volus, Hanar and Elcor among them. Previously, the Flood had mostly neglected the homeworlds of the Council Species during the Great Flood War, but this time they were past that point of courtesy.

...

For Urdnot Wrex, it was an unpleasant sense of deja vu as the Parasite once again attacked Tuchanka. After the Great Flood War, the Krogan had returned to their homeworld after a hasty evacuation, but less than a decade later, the enemy that had forced them off the first time was back.

And this time, the Krogan had their backs against the wall, since they had nowhere to go and they knew it. Even if they could get off the ground during the constant bombardment of Flood pods, everywhere else in the galaxy was under attack, and potentially the entire multiverse as well.

Of course, the Krogan Overlord knew better than most that a cornered animal was all the more dangerous. If the Krogan were to finally fall against this enemy, they would make damn sure that the Flood would remember it.

"Keep fighting, you pyjacks!" Wrex shouted, even as he launched a Warp bolt into the center of the Flood horde. "If the Flood want to take the Krogan, then we'll be sure to make it hurt! For Tuchanka!"

"FOR TUCHANKA!"

...

On Rannoch, things were not going so pleasantly. In the years since the Reaper War, the Quarians had slowly but surely reintegrated peacefully with the Geth. Oh there had been some instances of violence, and former Admirals Han'Garrel and Xen had occasionally advocated for Geth destruction and slavery respectively, but after the formation of the IDA and the revelation that the UNSC and Galactic Alliance still used widespread AIs, those viewpoints died down considerably.

" **Near or far, all realms will come to our hold.** "

When the Great Flood war began, the two races hunkered down and defended their home, though strangely, the Flood had mostly ignored them until the final days. This time however, it did not, and was especially cruel in its method.

Tali ducked behind cover as a Geth Prime kept her pinned, it's Spitfire blaring loudly as the Flood continued their rampage. Activating her omni-tool, her drone appeared behind the Prime and detonated, staggering the large Geth and allowing her time to blast it with her Arc projector.

The moment of victory was short lived as more Geth supported Flood approached, forcing the remaining Quarians to retreat back into the bunker. Tali was the last in, locking the door with the strongest encryption she knew, but was aware that it would only slow them for a moment.

When the Flood had started their assault, they had also sent a signal through the Geth network, corrupting them with some form of the logic plague. In moments, the previously loyal Geth had turned on their creators, aiding the Flood in consuming Rannoch.

Tears flowed down Tali's face and she was unable to stop it. She knew than unlike before, Shepard wouldn't be coming for her at the last minute. The Quarians wouldn't escape this onslaught, no matter how much they fought.

Any semblance of a brave face all but shattered as Tali fell to despair.

* * *

Even the isolation of Starkiller Base couldn't protect the First Order from the Flood's attack. The Parasite had dropped onto the fortified planet in waves, breaching through the defenses worryingly quickly, even for the Parasite.

Of course, when Unitologists were found aiding the Flood in their entry to the underground levels, the reason for the Parasite's ease became alarmingly clear. Fortunately, there hadn't been that many, but nevertheless, the damage had been done and the Parasite was swarming through the First Order HQ.

" **All life is in my hand,** "

Stormtroopers and Dark Troopers held the line as best as they could, utilizing choke points as much as possible, but it wasn't enough as the Parasite continued to overwhelm the defenders, often finding new avenues to bypass the chokepoints.

The primary cloning facilities on the planet were heavily guarded by vehicles and battalions of heavily armed troops. Supreme Leader Snoke had even sent his personal Phase III Dark Trooper to aid in the defense, and so far they were holding.

As for the Supreme Leader himself, he, Vestara and Hux had been caught by surprise in the attack and were currently fighting their way through the Parasite to get to safer lines.

Force lightning arced through the hallways as they fried the Parasite, becoming increasingly harder for Vestara and Snoke to control given what the Flood were doing to the Force itself.

A smaller abomination came rolling down the hall and Vestara bisected it with her lightsaber, before using Force Push to knock away a carrier form that had just fallen from the ceiling vents.

The explosion downed several Flood forms behind them, and a sudden burst of blasterfire from the side passage took care of the remainder. Once the hall was momentarily clear, a squad of Shadow Troopers led by Phasma appeared, providing covering fire as they escorted their Supreme Leader to safety.

"Get to the command center." Snoke ordered. "We must call for reinforcements."

Fortunately, the First Order forces were holding for the moment, allowing them to do just that. But when they arrived, it became clear that no help would be forthcoming. Distress signals from all over First Order territory had been initiated, making it clear just how widespread the Flood were.

"What do we do now?" Hux asked. Snoke was silent for a moment.

"Contact the Banished." He finally said.

...

"Atriox, we're getting a transmission from the First Order." The leader of the Banished didn't speak, instead focusing on knocking away the Pure from attacking him. Once the Flood from was nothing but a pulpy mass, Atriox heeded the report.

"Patch it through."

" **The prudent, the foolish.** "

"Atriox, we're under heavy attack from the Flood!" Hux's panicked voice came over the comlink, which still remained clear even with everything going on.

"You and the rest of the multiverse." Atriox snarled. "My forces are being overrun at this very moment."

And that was a bitter pill to swallow. After the events on the Ark and High Charity, none of the Banished were very enthralled with the idea of the Parasite attacking once more, and were fortunate enough that they avoided the brunt of the Great Flood war.

But this time, the scale was unprecedented. Not even the Forerunners had to deal with this sort of attack, not at this scale. All across the desert world, Banished forces were engaging the Parasite, with more than a few of their forces already infected.

Banshees fought and were infected by Seeder forms, infected vehicles traded volleys with each other, captured bases were already being converted into mounds of Flood Biomass and even the building where Atriox was currently standing was under assault, the Flood having broken the shield doors and engaging Voridus, Pavium and Laccabeus outside.

In the skies above, the _Enduring Conviction_ was still holding its own, glassing concentrations of the Flood wherever it could, but the Banished chieftain knew that even the supercarrier would eventually succumb to the continuing attack.

Already, the atmosphere was being choked with Flood spores, which would inevitably corrupt the defenders still fighting as more and more Flood forms kept falling from the sky. No aid would be forthcoming, that much Atriox knew, and it seemed that the First Order hadn't grasped that yet, or more likely, they were in denial.

" **All who dwell in the land,** "

"There must be something you can send!" Hux's voice was almost a shriek now, and in the background of the transmission, the Banished leader could hear blasterfire and the approaching howling of the Flood. "We are in desperate need of reinforcements."

"Get in line!" Atriox slammed his fist into the speaker, not wishing to hear the General's whining any more.

It was a futile belief that there was anything they could do to survive and Atriox knew it. He had no false delusions that the Banished could beat back the Flood themselves, not at this level.

Still, he refused to bow down to fate so easily. If the Banished kept fighting, then so would he. But it would be a last stand, and deep down, they all knew it. All that they could really do now (besides fight) was hope for a miracle.

* * *

Omega was on fire. This, well wasn't normally too out of the ordinary for the station, especially during Aria's reign, but it had never been this damaged since Darth Maul had taken over.

Unfortunately for the Shadow Collective, the Flood weren't exactly giving them a choice in the matter, as the Sith's forces were forced to burn out parts of the station to keep the Parasite from spreading. And at the moment, it didn't seem to be enough.

" **Their days are numbered** "

Maul himself was trying to keep himself calm, but the constant damage reports and continual distress beacons from his forces was making that difficult. The Flood was everywhere, operating on a scale that no one had any defense against.

As he absentmindedly gave orders, he couldn't help but feel despair creeping in. It wasn't a foreign concept to him, but for once, he couldn't exactly make use of it to fuel his power over the Dark Side, not after whatever the Flood had done.

" **Until the last sunrise,** "

"Brother." Maul looked to his personal terminal and was relieved to see Savage still alive, albeit clearly harried and exhausted. "We have lost Sera to the Flood. They've overrun everything."

"Forget Sera!" Maul all but shouted. "You must leave, apprentice. Now!"

"And go where?" The Nightbrother asked, the simple question burning through Maul's thoughts. "If the Flood are as widespread as we fear, then what place is secure?"

" **Until the war is over,** "

"I-I don't know." The Sith admitted, stunning his brother and those controllers nearby. There was a brief moment of silence before Maul's senses spiked and fear gathered in his gut.

"Savage, behind you!"

The Nightbrother swung around, his lightsaber instinctively cutting into the carrier form that had managed to slip behind him. Maul could only watch helplessly as his brother had done the exact wrong thing, the explosion sending the Nightbrother flying towards the screen.

"No."

Maul could do nothing but watch helplessly as the resulting Infection forms slithered toward his brother. Savage recovered enough to struggle, but it was far too late, as one form breached his armor and burrowed into his chest, twisting the yellow and brown tattooed Zabrak into a combat form. The form turned and looked at Maul, Savage's voice now one with the Gravemind.

" **Until reality dies!** "

His vision had come true. Maul collapsed to his knees as the realization struck him. All those premonitions he had had, all the work he had done for the Gravemind: none of this would've come to pass without what he had done.

Panicked shouts for orders came from the rest of the bridge, but he couldn't hear them, his mind blocking them out. Nothing mattered, not anymore. Not when he knew his brother was gone. He snapped back to the present at the explosion behind him, but was sluggish nonetheless.

The Sith drew his lightsaber in a futile gesture. There were too many, the Flood too widespread and already upon him. The Infection form was mere centimeters away when it suddenly disintegrated.

Stunned at his own survival, Maul finally registered the same thing happening to every Flood form that had entered the room. Rising to his feet, the Sith checked the security monitors, and found that the pitched battle that had gripped Omega had suddenly ground to a halt, as soldiers and mercenaries looked around, confused by the sudden lack of Flood in the vicinity.

"Um... what the hell just happened?"

* * *

What happened on Omega was not an isolated incident. Just as quickly as the Flood had arrived, they vanished, disintegrated by an extremely powerful energy wave that propagated throughout the multiverse, not unlike how the Great Flood war had ended the first time around.

All across reality, many people looked up to the sky with hope and shock, scarcely willing to believe that their sudden nightmare had abruptly come to an end. But it quickly became clear that this was no illusion, no cruel trick by the Parasite.

All over what remained of IDA space, many survivors began cheering, caught up in the moment that they had actually survived what should have been the end times for the multiverse.

A lot of that good cheer was inevitably brought crashing down when it became clear just how much had been lost during the attack. The Flood had caused considerable damage during their rampage, and countless people had been consumed by the Parasite before they were stopped.

And that wasn't counting the damage caused by the Flood's actual destruction: unlike last time, the energy hadn't been solely focused on destroying Flood biomass and Precursor artifacts. It had lashed out, scarring the surfaces of numerous worlds and shattering many others.

Whole star systems were rendered uninhabitable, with some stars even completely snuffed out. The full extent of the damage to the entire multiverse would never be cataloged and it wouldn't be until later that other, unusual effects were noticed.

They had survived, but the cost was high.

...

Atriox looked around the camp, watching as his forces slowly recovered from what had happened. The destruction of the Parasite had been an unexpected windfall, but the damage was still done.

Pillars of smoke wafted into the air, with many vehicles and buildings burning. Even the _Enduring Conviction_ had noticeable damage, fire streaking out of a number of openings in the hull, with damage control forces doing their best to repair the stricken ship.

There weren't very many bodies, but that was hardly reassuring given the circumstances. Laccabeus limped over to the Banished Chieftain, a smirk on his face in spite of everything.

"It seems the Republic and Separatists have saved the day once again." The Shipmaster snarked. "Remind me to thank them for the timely rescue." Atriox ignored his fellow Jiralhanae's vitriol and turned to the communications officer.

"I want reports from all surviving units. I want to know what we still have and what we've lost." The warmaster growled. "And get me a line to Maul and Snoke. We need to get ahead of this setback."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. Again, if you haven't read the previous chapters from Accounts of the Flood Conflicts, I would recommend doing so now, as it's rather important for explaining what happened here.**

 **Suffice to say though, shit has hit the fan for... well, pretty much everyone. This event is going to have major ramifications going forward, I can guarantee that much. How and why though, are still up in the air.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	22. Rebuilding

**And now we begin the aftermath chapter of the Flood's attack. Suffice to say, you should read the corresponding chapter in Accounts of the Flood conflicts, otherwise a lot of plot points here will probably confuse you. With that said, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Bionicle or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

For so long he had been trapped in the Netherworld of the Force, kept there by the spirits of countless Jedi. However the latest disruption in the Force had weakened their hold and after the latest catastrophic devastation through reality, he was finally able to break free.

All he needed was a host to inhabit, and darkness would plunge over the universe once more.

...

It was hard to believe it was actually over. Shepard looked around at the devastation of Ossus, and was quick to realize just how badly things could've been for them all. Fortunately, preliminary data from the Republic suggested that the Flood really were gone, though it seemed the superpower was undergoing some internal changes themselves, given how little the intelligence given actually was.

Regardless, Shepard and the Normandy crew had given their aid during the Flood attack and now that the Parasite was gone, began aiding in the evacuation that was still ongoing. But Shepard and Luke were abruptly called away, as the leader of the Republic requested to speak with them both.

The two met up aboard the Normandy, where EDI activated the pad. But instead of the Republic Supreme Commander, the figure was a robotic-looking gold being with an ornate mask over his face.

"Commander Shepard, Master Skywalker." The figure nodded. "It's an honor to finally meet you."

"Well, I hope to say the same, Mr.-"

"Oh, of course. I am Mata Nui, the current leader of the Republic."

"What happened to the old one?" Luke asked.

"He and the former Separatist Ruler are apparently keeping the Flood at bay from the rest of reality." The Commander and Jedi Grandmaster exchanged a confused look.

"Um, I think you might have to explain that one." Shepard replied.

And so Mata Nui did. He explained how the Flood had gained enough power to launch this attack, he explained what the leaders of the Republic and Separatists had had to do to beat it, and explained what their last orders were.

"So, the Republic and Separatists are merging?" Shepard asked. "What exactly are you guys gonna call yourselves?"

"We're still working on that." The former Great Spirit admitted. "Though that is for a later date. We do have some requests for right now, though."

"Which are what exactly?" Luke asked.

"The offer to the Jedi is still open. We would more than welcome your aid in our new alliance. However, we would also like for your aid in doing the same with the rest of the IDA factions."

"Any particular reason for this?" Shepard's eyes narrowed. "It kinda seems like an odd reversal of policy for the Republic."

"While my predecessor was also a good friend of mine, I did disagree with some of his choices." Mata Nui shook his head. "Of course, I'm not sure how much of that was him or the previous leaders of the IDA. Regardless, after what has happened, we need unity now more than ever."

Neither the Jedi nor Commander could disagree with that. After some more discussion, during which it was decided that Shepard would reach out to the Citadel while Luke would speak to what remained of the Galactic Alliance, the topic of discussion moved to the Jedi's evacuation.

"Where exactly will we be moving to?" The Grand Master asked.

"There are a number of worlds still habitable enough to host a Jedi Temple." Mata Nui replied. "We will send a list for you and the Jedi Council to look over." The Great Spirit paused, and looked off to the side, as something off-screen had grabbed his attention. "My apologies, it appears there is another situation that requires my attention."

"I understand." Shepard said, with Luke nodding in agreement. "You probably have a lot on your plate." After Mata Nui closed the link, Shepard sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Why do I always get the fun jobs?"

"Surely talking with the Council won't be that bad." Luke suggested, drawing a raised eyebrow from the ex-Spectre.

"You have met the Council, right?" Even the Grand Master of the Jedi couldn't argue with that. "I don't suppose you can use the Force to tell me how the meeting will go?" Luke flinched at that.

"I... can't say." The Jedi hesitantly said, something the Commander picked up on.

"What's wrong?"

"The Force is in flux." Luke replied. "But it's leaning more towards darkness. Even now, our vision of the future remains cloudy."

"The Gravemind's influence hasn't cleared up?"

"I'm not sure it ever will." The Jedi looked out the window at the devastation around the Temple. "For anyone."

Once again, the magnitude of the damage struck both of them, as their memories drifted back to the immediate aftermath of the Flood attacks. The reports had indicated that the number of deaths were beyond most of the worst conflicts in the multiverse, and to add insult to injury, had all taken place in less than an hour.

But Shepard was quick to realize how much work it was for Luke: he had lost his sister, brother in law, and grand niece just before that. And if what Shepard heard was true, it was the latter that had made the Flood's attack possible.

"How're you doing?" Shepard asked, walking up next to the Jedi Master. "I know things have been hectic lately..."

"It's... difficult." Luke admitted. "I can still feel the devastation, a greater Wound in the Force than anything I have ever seen." His voice dropped an octave. "And none of us have had any time to mourn."

"At least you don't plan on running and hiding from everyone and everything you've ever cared about." It was a poor attempt at humor, and Shepard knew it, cringing as soon as he spoke. Thankfully, Luke didn't seem to take offense.

"Of course not." Luke said. "There's too much work to be done still." There was a brief moment of silence before Luke spoke again. "What about the First Order? Have Inferno Squadron given you anything?"

"It turns out they don't know all that much." Shepard sighed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Captured Special forces can't give away any critical information if they don't know it."

"Well, the First Order is undoubtedly suffering from this attack as well." Luke pointed out. "I doubt they'd be in much position to do anything at the moment."

"I hope so." The Commander looked at his omni-tool. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to set up a meeting with whoever's left in Citadel Space."

...

This was certainly an experience he hadn't been expecting. After what had happened, he shouldn't even be alive. True, he was without a body, but it was still a better condition than being dead. Of course, if he didn't find a body in a few days, that would certainly change.

Fortunately, it seemed that he was somewhere that he wouldn't be recognized. This was excellent news, of course. He needed to figure out what happened, where he was, and more importantly, make a new plan.

But first he needed a body. Scanning the minds of those around him, what he found was surprising. All life nearby... was organic. That was certainly a new phenomenon. He had never seen any fully organic life before. At least none that were sapient, anyway.

But that could wait. Continuing to sift through their minds, he found what he was looking for. And it was certainly more than he was expecting. Once he was sure that no one was watching, he directed his energies towards his new host.

…

Atriox looked over the preliminary reports, and found himself frowning. The Banished had suffered considerable damage during this attack, and the rebuilding was proceeding rather slowly for his liking.

And to make things worse, neither the First Order nor the Shadow Collective were in much position to help, as both had their own rebuilding to do. Maul in particular seemed rather withdrawn, the apparent loss of his brother having shaken him.

Fortunately, it seemed that the fractured IDA was in much worse condition than the three of them. Scouting missions had confirmed that many planets among the Galactic Alliance, Galactic Federation, UNSC and Citadel Space were all but depopulated, with the bulk of their fleets pulled back to defensive positions over their surviving core worlds.

It appeared that the civil war prior to the Flood attack had left the factions severely weakened and unprepared for the Parasite's assault, even more so than normal. Of course, the Republic and Separatists may have had better fortune, but so far, the Banished had yet to learn much about the superpowers current circumstances.

But despite how much Atriox wanted to strike now, while his enemies were so vulnerable, he knew that it would be folly to attack when his own forces were so critically undermanned.

So, the priority of rebuilding his forces remained, all the while his enemies and allies were doing the same. Fortunately, their shipyards had survived relatively intact, so rebuilding their fleet wouldn't take too long, but repopulating their forces would take longer.

 _Perhaps a visit to Doisac is in order._ The Alpha Tribes were likely to have been weakened by the Flood, which would allow Atriox a fertile feeding ground to recruit the survivors. Of course, it would help to have something or someone they would listen to. Activating his personal comms, Atriox called the Shipmaster of the _Intention's Eye._

"Laccabeus, I believe we have a priority need to return to our homeworld."

* * *

"We are arriving at the Citadel." EDI reported, somewhat unnecessarily, given Shepard was standing behind Joker's seat.

The Normandy dropped out of interdimensional space to find that the Citadel wasn't exactly in good shape. Of the five arms, only three were still attached to the Presidium ring. The other two were drifting in orbit, with all the arms suffering major damage and almost none of the buildings intact. The Presidium Ring itself was barely circular anymore, and the Citadel Tower had been cut in half.

"Damn, the Flood really did a number on this place." Joker murmured.

"EDI, see who's still willing to talk." The AI acquiesced, and a moment later, a familiar voice came over the comms.

"Shepard. It's good to hear from you again." Hackett's voice emerged from the speaker. "But I take it you're not here for a social call."

"I was hoping to talk to the Council." The Commander replied. There was a pregnant pause.

"The Council is dead." Hackett replied. "Unitologists kept them contained long enough for the Parasite to get to them." There was a sigh at the other end of the line. "Honestly, the same can be said of the homeworlds. We've lost a lot Commander, as I'm sure you know."

"That's why I need to speak with someone in charge." Shepard replied. "The Republic has an offer, one which Citadel Space needs to hear." There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Hackett spoke again.

"I think I can arrange that."

...

In the depths of Omega, someone stirred, gasping and panting as he rose to his feet. Memories flooded back to him about his last moments, with the phantom pain around his neck giving credence to the belief that it wasn't some sort of dream or illusion.

He moved through the bowels of this place until he spotted a light at the end of the tunnel. Praying that he wasn't actually dead, he nevertheless headed toward it, and found himself in an alley in the middle of a run down city converted into military factories, with soldiers in unknown armor all around him.

Trapped in a strange location, unusual people everywhere: it certainly wasn't the most unfamiliar situation to him. Though having actually died prior to this point was certainly new. Spying a group of armed soldiers walking by, he made a split-second decision to gain some new information.

In a moment, his clothes were not his usual regalia, instead matching those of the seeming mercenaries walking past. It would probably be a good idea to keep himself hidden for the time being, at least until he learned more about where he was.

One thing was certainly clear: this station had suffered serious damage. A lot of buildings were still on fire, and there was a hole in the rock dome that clearly wasn't supposed to be there.

He needed more information, but it had to be gotten discretely; asking openly would only draw attention to the fact that he wasn't supposed to be here. For now, he resolved to watch and wait while he figured out his next move, but his end goal was clear: he would attempt to reunite with his brother and their people, assuming they were still alive.

And if they weren't, then he would avenge their deaths.

...

The Shadowed One coughed, looking over his surroundings. They were definitely on an alien world, with none of Spherus Magna's celestial bodies in orbit. Scanning the area, he was relieved to find that most of his Dark Hunters had made the trip intact.

With the attack of those Flood having broken them out of prison, the leader of the Dark Hunters was amazed that they had actually escaped alive, though they could thank that Portal Storm for that.

Granted, being stranded on an unknown world had not been something they had planned, but given time, the Shadowed One knew that this world could very well become the new Headquarters for the Dark Hunters. Already, he could see a mountain nearby that could become an excellent fortress, once the forest around them was cleared.

But first, he needed to make sure that they still had their prize; he had been fortunate to collect what they had during the chaos, and from what little he had heard of the Republic, the Shadowed One was sure that what they had would make them a power to reckon with.

"Sentrakh!"

At his command, his bodyguard approached. Sentrakh was holding the deceased Vanisher's spear (it having turned out that his power had indeed come from the weapon) and activated it at his master's command, revealing their prize: this pocket dimension was small, but it held the Dark Hunter's most important prize; a pool of silvery liquid.

* * *

The man in a tattered cloak walked through the jungle, pushing through the undergrowth of this foreign new world. Despite the oppressive heat and disgusting bugs, he felt relieved to no longer be in that icy wasteland.

After seventy years trapped on that hellish planet, it felt good for him to be free, no longer the guardian of that accursed Stone. True, he had no idea where he was, what with this strange alien jungle in the way, but the ships coming and going in the distance were clearly the signs of civilization.

He thought back to how he had come to arrive here. After the visitor had claimed his prize, he heard a deep laughter echoing everywhere, followed by an unusual rhyming speech from the stars, which felt even more oppressive than usual.

After that speech was done, a strange storm of energy had appeared overhead, and before he could move to avoid it, it had swallowed him up and deposited him here, wherever 'here' actually was.

It was no matter. He would find his way off this rock and then... honestly he wasn't sure anymore. So far away from home, with a low possibility of ever locating it again, his fire had died after all that time. And even though he was free, he still wasn't sure how to get back, nor what awaited him there.

Perhaps it was best for him to make his way among the stars, to see that which he had never seen before... and perhaps conquer them as well. Despite his lack of drive, old habits died hard after all.

...

It was too good to be true.

Darth Maul kept looking over the data, reading through every single report and scarcely daring to believe it. But so far, every current report was coming up the same: not only were the Flood gone, the factions of the IDA were all but outright crippled, and if the rumors were true, even the Republic and Separatists were at a fraction of their former power.

The multiverse, it seemed, was ripe for the taking. And yet, Maul still couldn't help but feel that this was far too easy. That somehow, this whole thing was a deception of some kind.

Some would probably say he was paranoid, and to a certain degree that was certainly true, but having spent a lot of time in the Gravemind's proximity, the Sith knew that it wouldn't have fallen so easily.

At least, not without some sort of contingency plan.

With effort, Darth Maul pulled himself out of that line of thought and onto more pressing concerns, like rebuilding the Shadow Collective. With his brother gone (which he still found really hard to accept), the Sith had few lieutenants that he trusted, meaning he had to be there to manage what was happening.

Omega's reconstruction was still underway, but enough systems had been restored to keep it mobile, though it would still be quite some time before the holes in the shell could be fixed.

His other operations weren't faring much better: many criminal operations were in disarray thanks to the total disruption caused by the Flood, and several of his military bases were crippled if not outright destroyed completely.

The outposts in the Fringes were completely depopulated, and life on Pandora and Sera had been completely wiped out. It was fortunate that the Shadow Collective had gathered survivors from the latter, while the former was now much easier to mine at least.

Still, it would take quite some time for operations to get back to a shadow of what they once were, and the Sith Lord knew that the Banished and First Order were in a similar predicament.

And despite the current weakness of the IDA, they couldn't strike, not yet. But that time was inevitably drawing near, and not even what remained of the superpowers would be able to stop it.

...

In the ruins of this desolate UEG city, a squad of armored soldiers were making a sweep through the streets, searching for any survivors. Unfortunately, it seemed like it was all for naught; the Flood hadn't left any survivors here, not in the way of civilians or military forces.

"Control, this is Echo 1." The squad leader said. "We still have no signs of life. Respectfully, I think this is a waste of time."

"Echo 1, you will continue your mission." The voice at the other end of the comms said gruffly. "Commander Saxon wants to ensure that none of the data was leaked. You will sweep your sector until the mission is complete."

"Understood Control." The mercenary replied. "We're continuing the sweep now."

"It feels wrong to be here." One of the young humans murmured. "Like we're walking through a graveyard."

"Oh quit whining." A turian replied. "It's not like something is going to jump out from the shadows."

"The Flood were here!" The young girl protested. "That's like the main thing they do!"

"Stow it, both of you." The lieutenant snapped, but before he could say anything else, the asari sergeant spoke.

"Sir, I'm detecting a life sign 20 meters away." She looked from her omni-tool and pointed at a pile of debris in a nearby building. "It should be there."

"What kind of life sign?"

"I can't tell. Something is interfering with the scanner."

"Form up, let's check it out."

The squad came to the debris in question, and while the two asari used their biotics to shift it, the other members of the squad had their guns aimed, prepared to kill the survivor, or in the worse case scenario, a Flood form.

Eventually, the asari got the debris out and abruptly a black blur shot out, causing the young girl to fire off a burst in fright. "Cease fire!" The cawing of the black raven echoed through the streets as the squad relaxed, while one of the asari looked confused.

"I didn't think there were ravens on this planet."

"Must've been someone's pet." The turian replied. "I guess it got lucky when the Flood came." He took aim at the bird as it flew into the sky. "Let's fix that, shall we?"

"Save it." The batarian lieutenant said. "We still have a long way to go. Don't waste your bullets until we actually have something worth killing."

After acknowledging the order, the squad kept moving, just as cloudy weather became more windy and what little sunlight peaking out became covered. The breeze picked up and it began snowing, causing the squad to move slower and more carefully as their footing became precarious.

As the weather became more and more erratic, the soldiers struggled to keep going. They never noticed that the raven had disappeared with a masked human in its place, nor did they hear the blade emerge from her sheath.

* * *

On Starkiller Base, First Order soldiers and technicians were hard at work getting systems back on line. The Flood attack had caused considerable damage and some sections would have to be replaced, but it was nevertheless a model of efficiency as the Imperial successor state got things back in working order.

In the Droid workshop, the Supreme Leader's personal Phase III Dark Trooper was just having its repairs finalized. Once the technician was done looking it over, he moved on to one of the damaged Phase I Dark Troopers. As a result, no one noticed the cloud of green-black energy that was seemingly absorbed by the droid.

In his own meditation suite, Snoke looked over the reports that his people had given. Their losses were severe, with Cerberus itself being almost completely wiped out. While the damage was extensive, the Supreme Leader knew that the First Order had to get ahead in this situation.

He had already dispatched envoys to his supporters, pledging support and protection in exchange for unity. At the moment, those promises were hollow, but he had every intention of bringing his forces back to their full strength.

Snoke's musings over his future plans were interrupted by black pain, and he fell over on his back, clutching at his head. Screaming in agony, he felt something in the Force, as someone's will began overriding his own.

Another spirit was taking refuge in his body, and the First Order's Supreme Leader's efforts to keep it out were failing miserably. His will was strong (it had to be to gain powers from the Chiloon Rift monolith while keeping his sanity intact), but whoever was taking him over was far stronger.

 _Your body will suffice. Give in._

Snoke's consciousness faded as something else overtook him.

…

Calling on the Force to increase her speed, Vestara Khai ran through the halls of Starkiller Base. She had felt something happening to the Supreme Leader, and while she didn't know what it was, she could feel the aura of the Dark Side around him, stronger than normal.

Once she reached his office, Vestara used the Force to pull the door open, and found the Supreme Leader sitting on the ground, gasping heavily. Aside from that, he looked no worse for wear, though his aura felt rather unusual.

"Supreme Leader, are you alright?" Snoke chuckled briefly before looking up at Ves, his eyes yellow and red from dark side immersion.

"I have never felt better, Vestara." Snoke's smile made the young Sith nervous. "I've never felt better."

* * *

 **Well that ending was certainly ominous, wasn't it? Suffice to say, the Flood's destruction will have many ramifications going forward, and as you can tell, new players are entering the board. Now, some of you may have some idea of who a few of the new players are, and trust me, things will get very interesting with them present.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	23. Offers

**And so we shall begin the next chapter of the story. Honestly, when I started this one, I never really pictured just how far it would go, but here we are, and I definitely have some interesting plans for the future.**

 **Now, it's going to be a while before another battle really starts, considering that everyone would still be rebuilding after the Flood attack. Nevertheless, I will try to fit some action in sooner rather than later. With that said, let's dive in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Bionicle or anything else that may appear in this story.**

* * *

"That is quite an offer, Master Skywalker." Wynn Dorvan said after a long moment. "It's rather unprecedented for the Republic to offer such aid."

"Times have changed, Wynn." Luke replied. "The Flood have left everyone devastated. They can help rebuild what was lost."

Soon after arriving on Coruscant (and seeing the damage the Flood had caused firsthand), Luke had been guided to what was left of the Senate building, where Chief of State Wynn Dorvan had actually survived, but at the cost of losing Jedi Yantahar Bwua'tu, who had apparently sacrificed himself to allow Wynn to escape from the infected Senate.

Realizing that the Chief's time was rather busy, Luke was quick to fill him in on the details of the Republic's offer. Dorvan had listened silently to what the Grand Master had said, and only now did he sigh.

"I would like to provide my support and accept this offer." Wynn said. "Truly, I would. But the new Senators have been rather... belligerent in their new role. They've been claiming that the superpowers let this attack happen, and were too weak to have the power they did."

"These people were elected by their worlds?"

"It seems the Flood didn't leave many candidates available." Wynn shook his head. "Honestly, with everything that's happened, restructuring the government might be in order. Force knows the Yuuzhan Vong had never been this destructive." He stood up, prompting Luke to do the same.

"I'll pass this offer onto the Senate at least, make sure it gets heard. But I can't guarantee that they'll listen to it."

"Would it help if I was there?" Luke asked, but Dorvan shook his head.

"Better not to risk it right now. Anti-Jedi sentiment is still fairly common among the population due to your neutrality in the civil war with the IDA, and I doubt the Flood's attack will have improved it."

"You don't plan to continue that foolish conflict?" Luke's eyes widened. "That was a manipulation by the Unitologists, surely they can at least see that."

"Fear not Master Skywalker." A small smile made its way onto Wynn's face. "I have no intention of letting them continue that at least."

"That's a relief." Luke muttered. "I suppose I should no longer keep you. Thank you for taking the time to see me."

"Of course." Wynn shook Luke's hand, then paused. "And for what it's worth... my condolences for the loss of Han, Leia and Allana." There was brief pause before Luke spoke again.

"Thank you."

Once back aboard the Jade Shadow, Luke was quick to launch the ship and rocket out of Coruscant's atmosphere. Once in hyperspace, he sent a message to Republic command, reporting on what had happened.

Unbeknownst to him, the Senate meeting was going in a way that no one had really expected.

...

Once Wynn Dorvan had outlined the Republic's proposal, the result was unsurprisingly mixed. A number of Senators were willing to to consider the offer, but a majority were stubbornly refusing, believing that the Republic was too weak and undeserving of their status.

The conversation then drifted in a surprising direction: making a deal with the First Order. When the Chief of State asked the Senator who proposed it just why they should even consider such a thing, a hologram of the Supreme Leader was projected, and Snoke's speech began.

* * *

On the surface of Mindoir, people were hard at work, despite the planet's rather troubled history. From the colony's inception, it had suffered from a horrific slaver attack, the Reaper war, the Great Flood war, and now the "Tidal wave."

Today, the planet's formerly thriving population was but a shadow of what it once was. Most of the survivors of the recent nightmare had left the planet, while the remaining population kept on going.

While the isolation had left it a suitable target in the past, the colony had been provided with defenses that would help protect it from any pirates or other attackers. Even now, the defenses were still mostly intact and ready to repel anyone who tried to attack the colony.

Unfortunately, those defenses were primarily geared for orbital threats, so when the attackers had apparently come from the planet's surface, the defenders were caught off guard.

Still, the people of Mindoir did have ground based defense turrets, and despite the unusual biomechanical nature of the attackers, the colony's militia was still confident that they could repel this assault.

That confidence vanished once the turrets refused to activate. Unbeknownst to the colonists, someone had been hiding in plain sight amongst them for the last week, openly walking through the colony but completely invisible to their perception.

And at this critical moment, the infiltrator made his move in the turret control room, driving the operators insane and killing the one who barely managed to resist. Having learned how to operate the turrets, he made sure that they couldn't be reactivated, then opened all the gates and deactivated the other defenses.

The defenders were quick to learn that the attackers were not the usual brand of pirates, thugs or mercenaries. Besides their unusual mechanical nature, it was clear that almost all of them were trained killers and assassins, and more than a few exhibited unusual weaponry or strange powers.

A figure covered in dark blue-green armor hurled knives with deadly precision, felling several militia. Another launched a strange spinning projectile that paralyzed several attackers, and were further imprisoned when the very ground swallowed them up, with only their heads up top.

A being in dark armor fired electricity, frying several civilians. A being in strange armor manipulated fire, water and some strange dark energy to immobilize foes. Another disassembled a bunker with a touch, before seemingly hypnotizing the occupants into dropping their weapons.

At this point, the people of Mindoir were more than ready to call for help, but found all their long range comm devices either jammed or deactivated. And with no reinforcements on the way, the onslaught continued.

...

Eventually the surviving colonists surrendered, and were rounded up by these beings. Despite being ordered around and restrained by bonds of Earth or Stone, none of the strange killers said anything.

At least until a portal opened in mid air and two beings stepped out. One was holding a spear and clad in strange yellowish armor. The other was tall and imposing, carrying a staff of his own and seemingly had a tail.

The latter took a look around, then turned to the one in blue-green armor. "You all made quite a mess. I suppose you were OK with this, Lariska?"

"My apologies." A female voice emerged from the other figure. "I suppose we were all a little too eager."

"Well, I suppose I can forgive such transgressions, at least this time." The leader said, before raising his voice. "But make no mistake, disobey my orders again, and punishment will be swift. I know that all of you will remember that." The being turned to the captive humans. "Now, who's in charge here?"

"This man is in charge." One of the beings pointed to a male human. "He's definitely who they all look up to."

"Excellent." The two beings approached the man in question, who was bound from the neck down in stone. "And you are?"

"I'm not saying a damn thing to you, freak." The man spat. Despite the insult, the other being chuckled.

"You're upset, I suppose. I told them to try and show restraint." He said, then chuckled again. "Of course, after such a long imprisonment, I can't blame them for indulging their urges to kill." Then his voice darkened and his eyes narrowed. "Regardless, that's no way to talk to your new ruler."

"We serve no one, asshole!" A woman shouted, struggling against her bonds. "Certainly not something like you."

The being turned his gaze to her. His eyes glowed and twin streaks of energy lashed out, disintegrating the woman with the force of the blast. Stunned silence followed the proceedings, as the humans stared at the cloud of dust in shock.

"Good, you're paying attention at least." The leader growled. "Make no mistake, your rule over this pathetic rock is at an end. You are now the servants of the Dark Hunters."

* * *

Several figures were searching through the ruins of a mountain base, all clad in different colored outfits. A couple of them ran in at unnatural speeds, while one clad in red and blue with an 'S' symbol on his chest flew down, while a young boy who looked like a younger duplicate of the former (clad in a simple black T-shirt and jeans) did the same from a high jump.

"Anything?"

"There's still no sign of him." Superman shook his head. "We've searched the entire facility top to bottom."

 _M'gann, did you find anything?_ Superboy thought.

 _Still nothing._ She replied, phasing through another wall and into yet another empty warehouse. _And it looked like they cleaned out a lot as they left._

"Well, say what you will about the Light." Nightwing muttered, his wrist computer still connected to Mongolian HQ console. "They're really good with their security." There was brief blare of an 'access denied' alert, causing the young man to grimace. "And it's only gotten better since they allied with the Separatists."

"Which is why we need to find them." Wally said. "Before we have an arms race on our hands."

The Team and the League had been rather busy rebuilding since the Tidal Wave, though the Republic had certainly helped in that regard. With preliminary reconstruction complete, the heroes had another pressing concern: what the remnants of the Light were actually doing.

They knew that Vandal Savage, Queen Bee and Ra's al Ghul were unlikely to be a problem now, after the Flood, and just like Doctor Fate, Klarion hadn't been sighted since, either. Of the main members of the Light, that just left Black Manta, Lex Luthor and the Brain confirmed to have survived.

The former had been apprehended on his way to Atlantis, having no doubt planned to take advantage of Aquaman's disappearance in order to take Atlantis himself. But Luthor and the Brain had yet to be found, and unsurprisingly, Manta was refusing to disclose their locations.

Having those two on the loose was bad enough, but there were indications that they had left with a cache of Separatist technology, and since they clearly had no intention of cooperating with the merger by what was left of the Republic and Separatists, that could very well prove to be disastrous.

"Get back to the Watchtower, and contact Mata Nui." Nightwing said, after another sigh. "Maybe some of those former Separatists can provide a clue regarding where they went."

...

Meanwhile, two figures were watching a holographic feed of their former HQ, just as Nightwing said those words.

"Not likely, I believe." The Brain said. "They won't find us, not this time."

"Only if we keep moving." Lex replied. "The multiverse is in chaos, but it won't stay that way forever. We need to plan our next move."

"I have calculated a high number of possibilities." The Brain said, his body turning away and deactivating the screen. "There are a number of isolated locations we can use to hide ourselves."

"Of course, we also have to figure out what we do next." The businessman switched the screen to their ship's cargo hold, filled with a lot of LexCorp prototypes and some samples of Separatist technology. "And more importantly, who do we inevitably support."

"We could try to take power for ourselves." The Brain suggested, causing Lex to sigh.

"You and I both know that's not going to work." A bald head shook. "Maybe if there were more of us, but with just you and me, it's not going to happen."

And that was the real kicker regarding the Flood's attack, and both of them knew it. It was hard to accept just how far the Light had fallen, especially when their plans had been so well-laid.

Then again, their downfall had already started when they joined the Separatists, given how complacent they had gotten. After the failed coup attempt, which ended up causing Ocean-Master to be ousted from the Light (since it was his plan they had used in an effort to steal the Separatist Ruler's power), most of the members had grumbled, but begrudgingly realized that actually working with the Separatists would still allow them to accomplish their goals.

Of course, the revelation that the Separatist Leader was planning to merge his faction with the Republic had complicated things, but with him now gone, the Light could still sever ties and take over their galaxy themselves.

At least they could have, if more of the members had actually survived. And Black Manta's attempt to buy them time to flee had further reduced their numbers. With just the Brain and himself, Luthor was confident that they could set up something with the tech they had, but going it alone would only make them priority targets for the new superpower.

"Zis is true." The Brain agreed, drawing Luthor from his thoughts. "It's nice to dream though."

"Indeed." Lex switched the hologram feed to a new list. "So, what faction could we set ourselves up with, if necessary?"

"None of the IDA forces have the strength anymore to actually use our gifts." The Brain scrolled through the list. "Most of the single worlds won't exactly cut it, and I doubt Darth Maul and his Shadow Collective will receive us very well."

"We could sell some technology to everyone." Lex suggested. "Open our options."

"That is the businessman in you talking." The Brain said. "But I do not believe that is wise, at least not at the moment. It would end up causing more chaos when the multiverse still needs to rebuild, and the Republic would inevitably trace us as the source."

"Fair enough." Luthor agreed. "I suppose we can discuss that later." The screen switched to a new symbol. "The First Order?"

"They are growing rapidly in this chaos." The Brain pointed out. "Their numbers are increasing."

"Due to cloning, no doubt." Lex shook his head, once again wishing that they had been able to recover Match before leaving. "What about their alliance with the Shadow Collective? That might pose a problem."

"Not likely. It is only a matter of time before their alliance collapses. In this new multiverse, they can't afford to remain affiliated with that Sith Lord anymore."

"So you're saying they're our best bet?" The Brain turned to Luthor.

"Indeed. All we must do now is wait."

* * *

The Normandy rocketed away from the diplomatic ship, their mission having gone much better than anticipated. Then again, with the Council gone (and their unusual stubbornness with them), getting the remains of the Citadel races to agree to (at least conditionally) join the Republic had been rather simple.

Of course, part of that reason was no doubt due to the losses they had suffered from the Flood. They desperately needed to rebuild and they needed help doing so, which was aid that Mata Nui was more than willing to give.

With that done, Shepard intended to check on Tali and Wrex, on Rannoch and Tuchanka respectively. The preliminary reports had suggested that their two species had been hit rather heavily by the Flood.

The Krogan were hit so badly that they were apparently on the brink of extinction again. And though they could replenish those numbers rather quickly, it would still end up causing a lot of turmoil among their people.

For the Quarians, it seemed the Flood had infected the Geth with a form of the logic plague, causing the loyal synthetic race to turn on their creators once more. Though the Geth had stopped once the Flood were destroyed, the Quarians were still keeping them at arms length now, considering they had no idea whether the logic plague's effects were actually lingering.

Shepard couldn't help but sigh when he saw that Tali was one of the ones who was most vocal for pushing the Geth away. It seemed that all that effort he had gone through to help reunite the Quarians and Geth was for naught.

 _Well, they aren't trying to kill each other now._ Shepard thought. _So it is a step in the right direction._

While the Normandy was en route, Shepard took the time to fully look over the damage reports from other sources in the multiverse, and the sight made him wince. All that devastation, and in less than an hour. The Flood had certainly lived up to their name.

The Galactic Federation was in shambles, with so many worlds lost. They had never been the most effective at defending their territory, something that had been a problem ever since the Space Pirates appeared and was only highlighted further during the Great Flood War.

Now it had taken its toll among them, to the point where several previously isolated species, such as the Luminoth, were aiding in their rebuilding. Admittedly, the Luminoth had also been closely allied with the Republic, so that likely had something to do with their support.

The UCN and United Systems had all but been annihilated. They had some previous contacts, but mostly preferred isolation, which left them thoroughly unprepared to deal with the Parasite. Rather worryingly, it seemed that the First Order was moving into their territory, having done so before the Republic could send an offer to them.

Annoyingly, current intel reports suggested that the criminal alliance of the First Order, Banished and Shadow Collective had managed to survive with a fair amount of their assets intact, though considering their size, it was likely due to the Flood's initial focus on the bigger factions rather than any skill of their own.

No doubt they would become a bigger threat in the future, and Shepard made a note to add that in his report. Switching gears again, he turned his attention to the reports of the Flood's home universe.

The Sangheili had held up quite admirably, all things considered, and looked rather open to the Republic's offer. The Unggoy had suffered greatly, but it seemed that Mata Nui's proposal was interesting them as well. The other Covenant species were keeping quiet for the moment, though it seemed that was more due to reconstruction than a lack of interest.

With that said, Shepard turned his attention to the humans of that universe. The news wasn't good. From the UEG... there wasn't much left. The Flood had certainly done a number on them, destroying multiple Forerunner facilities under their control, including all of the Halo rings.

The Spartan branch had suffered horrendous losses, but it was clear that they could rebuild. The UNSC as a whole was more than prepared for that it seemed. They hadn't accepted the Republic's proposal, though they seemed to have it tabled for further discussion.

It seemed a bit foolish, but then Shepard remembered just how deep hatred could run, and even the Tidal Wave couldn't wash away the stench of what ONI had done throughout the multiverse.

Of course, remaining isolated wasn't going to do them any favors in the long run, but that was for someone else to deal with. Now, Shepard just had to wait until they arrived at Tuchanka.

"Apologies for the interruption, Commander." EDI's voice came over the intercom, causing Shepard to look to the holo terminal as EDI's avatar appeared. "But there has been a development that you may need to hear."

"I'm guessing it's not good news?"

"I'm afraid not." Shepard sighed.

"Alright, let's hear it."

"The Galactic Alliance has rejected the Republic's proposal and accepted the First Order's." Shepard froze, his brain trying to register what had just been said.

"They what?!" Before EDI could clarify, the ex-Spectre spoke again. "Wait, what proposal?"

* * *

"Well... that was unexpected."

It was just the Banished and Shadow Collective leaders (what was left of them, anyway) were watching the intel feed, where the Galactic Alliance had actually agreed to a tentative alliance with the First Order. Evidently, the Imperial Remnant was also supporting them on this.

"How in the Nine Hells of Corellia did the First Order manage that?!" Rook Kast's outburst was abnormal, but then again, this whole situation was.

"It seems that Snoke has a better grasp of politics than we thought." Maul said, trying to keep his own surprise at this hidden, and mostly succeeding.

"That's not like him." Laccabeus muttered. "He's never been that skilled at political manipulation, certainly not enough to convince the Galactic Alliance _and_ Imperial Remnant to give him that much support."

"I guess they're just that desperate." Voridus offered, but Laccabeus was quick to interject.

"I don't buy it. Snoke's not good enough to talk them into rejecting an offer from the Republic."

"And yet he has." Maul was feeling confused himself, but countered with anger.

"You know what this means, of course." Atriox looked to the Sith Lord, who nodded in agreement.

"It's only a matter of time before the First Order decides they no longer have a use for us." Darth Maul finished. "We may need to finish them off quickly."

"Or draw them into a war with the superpowers." Pavium suggested. "Whatever's left of them, at any rate."

"Where are we on that, by the way?" Commander Saxon asked. "Do we have any intel on their status?"

"Not as much as we'd like," Voridus pulled out a holopad. "but more than we would normally have gotten. It seems the Flood really did a number on them." Atriox took the holopad without a request, scouring over the data. He paused at one pertinent piece of information.

"Do we have anything on their new leader? This 'Mata Nui' being?" Voridus shook his head, but Laccabeus suddenly shifted his stance.

"Mata Nui? I've heard that name before. Back before the superpowers were ever in existence."

"What can you tell us about him?" Maul was disappointed when Laccabeus sighed.

"Not much. I never actually met him. All I know for sure is that he was a friend of the Republic's Supreme Commander. Beyond that, I can't say. He never showed up before."

"Well, that actually might explain the Alliance's decision not to ally with the Republic." Atriox surmised. "The former Supreme Commander was a known element to them, perhaps not one they were fond of, but they at least knew him."

"There's also the fact that he's clearly some form of AI." Saxon pointed out. "That would probably turn at least some of them off to the idea."

"We can discuss what to do about them later." Maul brought the subject back to the topic at hand. "Right now, we need to figure out what to do with the First Order."

As if fate itself had heard them, the holoprojector on the table began signalling an incoming signal, seemingly coming from First Order territory. Looks were exchanged silently between the criminal leaders before Atriox activated the link and the holo resolved into a figure.

But it wasn't Snoke or Hux or any of the First Order military officials that appeared on the table. Instead it was Vestara Khai, who looked rather tired and paranoid, even for a Sith.

"Vestara, what an unexpected pleasure." Atriox said calmly. "To what do we owe the First Order's attention?"

"I'm not calling on behalf the First Order." Vestara stated quickly. "I need to speak to Darth Maul, where is he?"

"That's _Lord_ Maul to you, Mistress Khai." The Sith Lord walked into the younger Sith's view. Strangely, Vestara didn't react to the jab, which normally would cause her to at least bristle with annoyance. "Now, why is it that you called us?"

"There's something wrong with Snoke." The Keshiri born human replied. "He's different ever since the Flood attack. His power has increased massively, and the taint of the Dark Side surrounds him, far worse than I've ever seen before. What's more, his personality has changed. I know him, even with the Force, he shouldn't have been able to convince the entire GA Senate to sack Wynn Dorvan and follow him."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Atriox moved back into the conversation.

"I'm heading to rendezvous with you now." Vestara replied, sending coordinates for deep space. "We can discuss further plans there."

"Plans for what, exactly?" Maul crossed his arms. Vestara grimaced before answering.

"To kill Supreme Leader Snoke."

* * *

The man who had once been Supreme Leader Snoke watched as the tracking beacon left First Order territory, smirking all the while. Vestara's betrayal was hardly unexpected, she was Sith through and through. She had the makings of a fine apprentice in her, once she was inevitably broken and brought to heel.

In the meantime, she would be useful in leading his former allies into an ambush. Once his former allies were dealt with, he could continue with his ambition; the First Order would become the dominant power through the multiverse.

 _The multiverse._ To think how things had changed from his time. Snoke's memories had provided most of the information he required, and the data had explained the rest. There had been much that had happened to his own galaxy, and then the multiverse had opened up.

The Republic and Separatists, the InterDimensional Alliance... the Flood. So much had changed, and not all for the better. He wasn't delusional: even he knew that he would be outmatched against the superpowers and the Parasite.

But now the Parasite and the leaders of the Republic and Separatists were gone. And whatever they had done had allowed for his resurrection. The chance to seize power was now. Snoke, in all his foolishness, would've been content to wait and watch, letting the opportunity that had fallen into his lap pass him by.

He of all people, knew the value or patience, but he also knew when to grab an opportunity by the throat and squeeze it for all it was worth. Especially when the alternative would sooner or later have ended with the First Order broken.

Even he knew the truth: the Flood had been the primary reason that the superpowers hadn't destroyed the First Order already. The Galactic Alliance's support would keep them at bay politically, but the tech gap was still too wide. He needed some way to close the gap.

Fortunately, the Force provided him with the clairvoyance to see that the solution would appear very soon. All he had to do was have patience. And it wasn't very long before his patience payed off.

"Supreme Leader, we're getting a signal from an unknown caller addressed directly to you." General Hux's voice came over his comlink. "It's on no channel we recognize and the signal strength is extremely powerful."

"Patch it through to my office." Snoke's voice commanded, in a tone that invited no argument. "I'll take this privately." There was pregnant pause before Hux responded.

"As you command, Supreme Leader." A hologram appeared on the desk, the figure being a bald and well dressed human male with the stance and voice of an experienced businessman.

"Supreme Leader Snoke, let me offer my congratulations on your successful deal with the Galactic Alliance."

"Well you have me at a disadvantage." Snoke replied, old memories dredging up his first conversation with the Illusive Man. "You know who I am, but I don't know who you are."

"Ah, where are my manners? My name is Lex Luthor. And I have an offer for you."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. A whole lot has happened, and believe me, so much more is to come. A lot of new story arcs are to come, and rest assured, they will be awesome.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and reviews are always welcome.**


	24. Plans and Schemes

**Time to begin the next chapter. To recap what happened: the devastation caused by the Flood left the multiverse in chaos, which the First Order was quick to leverage into an alliance with the GA. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor and the Brain have escaped Earth-16 and have a deal to make with them.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Young Justice, Bionicle or anything else that appears in this chapter.**

* * *

The Watchtower had miraculously survived the Tidal Wave mostly intact (most likely due to a juicier target in the form of the Warworld and the Earth itself), which allowed the Team and the League to meet up with the Republic and discuss what would be done about their world.

Thanks to the aid of the superpower, the majority of reconstruction was already complete, though it would still take a long time for the population to recover, both physically and mentally.

But that was the last thing on the mind of the heroes, as the Republic had called the senior members of the Team and the currently free members of the League for a meeting. And no sooner had everyone arrived when a portal opened and a robotic figure in blue armor walked out.

"I'm assuming you're the Republic's representative?" Green Arrow asked as the figure approached, everyone noting the flail the figure was holding. The figure nodded.

"Unfortunately, we are still short on manpower, so neither Mata Nui nor Grand Admiral Thrawn could be here. She said. "I am Toa Helryx, leader of the Order of Mata Nui."

"Interesting title." Nightwing noted. "I assume you worked with Mata Nui before."

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Helryx shook her head. "But that is a story for another time."

"So what does the Republic have for us?" M'gann asked, idly noting that Helryx's mind was shielded rather thoroughly from mental intrusions, even more so than many Republic agents.

"Some intel that you will be interested in." The Toa pulled out a device, and suddenly a hologram appeared in the center, with two blinking red dots in the middle of star field. "We have a lead on Lex Luthor and the Brain."

"Are these tracking devices?" Captain Atom asked.

"For use on the Separatist capital world." Helryx nodded. "It seems that the Separatist Ruler never really trusted the Light, and so had his security place nano-trackers in their bodies."

"How long have you known about this?" Wonder Woman asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Not long, I assure you." The oldest Toa replied. "We only found the frequencies today. There weren't many survivors on the Separatist capital world."

"If this is true, then we have a perfect opportunity to bring them in." Zatanna pointed out. "They'll never see us coming."

"We can't rush into this." Black Canary countered. "We need to make sure we can actually capture them."

"She's right." Superboy agreed. "We can't afford to let them escape again."

"And unfortunately, the Republic can't spare much support right now." Helryx interjected. "While capturing those two is a priority, the fact is that there are a number of other issues we are bogged down in."

"As are we." Aqualad nodded. "This is an issue that must be regarded with care."

"I might have an idea about that." Nightwing said after a moment.

* * *

On the surface of Mindoir, the surviving colonists were hard at work for their new masters, a role they all hated. True, these Dark Hunters were not as needlessly cruel as Batarian slavers were, but it was a small comfort considering just how powerful and ruthless they were.

In the mountain fortress of the Dark Hunters, the Shadowed One sat on his throne, looking over the new technology and data that the Dark Hunters had been exposed to. It was certainly a learning experience, and a clear downgrade from what little the Shadowed One had actually seen of Republic technology.

Nevertheless, they were making progress, and through trial and error with their 'asset,' the advancement was increasing by leaps and bounds to the point where they were able to intercept some interesting transmissions.

"It seems we have some kindred spirits out here." The Shadowed One looked up. "Wouldn't you agree, Lariska?"

"They could prove useful." The other Dark Hunter replied, arms folded together as she kept still. As always, Lariska hated standing still, which was why the Shadowed One would tend to make her do it in his presence.

"Indeed. An alliance would certainly not go amiss, especially if we want to avoid tangling with the Republic again."

"Are you really so certain they'll find us again?" The female Dark Hunter asked. "Surely the Flood left them weakened."

"Of that, I have no doubt." The Shadowed One shook his head. "But they will recover soon and inevitably find us. Which is why we need allies."

"And no plans to work for the highest bidder?" The Shadowed One shot a brief glare in her direction, causing Lariska to tense up. Satisfied that his point had been made, he looked away.

"Though I am loathe to admit it, it's clear that not many can afford it at the moment." He shook his head. "Besides, what would we use it for?" Abruptly, the Shadowed One stood up and Sentrakh followed, with Lariska tailing behind them.

"How goes the flight training?" They came across a balcony, where a dozen training devices awaited. Several Dark Hunters were inside, with their human slaves overseeing the training.

"It's proceeding as well as can be expected." Lariska replied. "And with the updated ship components, we can be on the move quickly."

"Good." The Shadowed One turned to her. "Assemble a team and go to the coordinates in question. Their plan is about to be derailed in ways they won't expect."

"As you command, Shadowed One." Lariska spun on her heels and left, leaving the Shadowed One to look over his work with pride.

Soon the time would come to take their rightful place in the multiverse. Sure, the Republic still existed, but their leader was gone now, and their forces were a shadow of their former glory. And as for Mata Nui, the Shadowed One resisted the urge to snort at the thought.

The Great Spirit couldn't stop them before, and he wouldn't stop them now.

* * *

Lex Luthor stood out in the middle of the desert wasteland, calmly waiting for the First Order ship to arrive. The tent around their merchandise had more than a few upgrades, including the climate controls that turned the scorching desert into a rather mild temperature around the zone.

He didn't have long to wait for the ship to arrive: he could see the bulk of several Star Destroyers in orbit. The businessman resisted the urge to snort. Their efforts to be intimidating fell rather flat considering his own ship could easily handle any bombardment. Combine that with the dome shield generator created with Separatist technology, and Luthor was feeling quite safe.

Several shuttles broke through the cloud cover, landing in formation around the makeshift bazaar, while Luthor stood unconcerned in his normal business suit as Stormtroopers, Shadow Troopers and Dark Troopers landed and emerged, taking up defensive positions around the structure.

And in front of Lex, a larger shuttle landed, with far heavier defenses and weapons. From out of the cargo bay first came a Phase III Dark Trooper, Snoke's own bodyguard and exoskeleton.

Finally, a row of red armored Stormtroopers emerged from the ramp, followed by the Supreme Leader himself. He was clad in a more military based uniform, with the lines of concealed body armor visible under his tunic. Escorting him were a number of officers and a Stormtrooper in silver armor.

"Supreme Leader Snoke, how gracious of you to join us." Lex bowed his head slightly, just enough to be polite, but not enough to suggest subservience.

"You ask much of me, Mr. Luthor." Snoke growled. "My advisors were against this little meeting, and my own time is rather important."

"Yes, rebuilding from the Flood is not an inexpensive task." Luthor nodded. "Rest assured, your time will not be wasted here, and I promise that you will find our wares most useful."

"They had better be." Phasma muttered as a portion of the shield opened to allow them passage.

...

The procession proceeded around the bazaar, an odd scene for sure, but in the end, the First Order came across a number of Separatist technologies that they would find very useful to use.

Snoke had a suspicion that this Lex Luthor either didn't have or couldn't retrieve some of the more advanced Separatist weapons and technology, but he refused to say anything about it, at least not yet.

After choosing several pieces of tech that would be very useful in helping the First Order grow and rebuild, Snoke then turned to the more esoteric section, where he noticed an array of several multi-colored crystals on a shelf.

"Ah, that's one of our more interesting ones." Lex walked up to the shelf, with a strange robot that looked like a brain in a jar following beside him. "Dust, a unique power source that allows limited elemental powers." As he spoke, the brain jar displayed a holoscreen showing this 'Dust' doing exactly what he proclaimed, with fire, ice and gravity among them.

"Fascinating." Snoke had to admit, what he saw was very impressive. "And where does it come from?"

"Zat information is something you have to pay for as well." The robot unexpectedly spoke, causing the guards to point their weapons in its direction. "And you're not going to get it out of threatening us." To punctuate that statement, a ridiculous amount of weapons emerged from its casing.

"Stand down." Snoke ordered, which his guards complied with. "Perhaps we can discuss this." He approached Luthor, subtly sending his influence through the Force to compel the man to speak, only for it to stop short of reaching him.

"Please Supreme Leader, don't take me for a fool." Lex shook his head, a smirk appearing on his face. "I am well aware of your powers over the Force, and mental powers aren't exactly unknown to us."

"Don't make us regret our hospitality." The Brain added, as a gorilla, of all things, approached from behind them, a massive minigun in its hands.

"What is your game here?" Phasma interjected. "With this level of technology, you could create your own kingdom. Why sell it to us?"

"My dear, I am a businessman first and foremost."

"And also a target?" Snoke added, causing Luthor to raise an eyebrow. "I don't need mental powers to see through you two. My guess is that you're deserters, who cut and run after the Flood attack, am I right?"

"You are perceptive." The Brain noted. "But our situation is not your concern."

"And of course, if you don't want genuine Separatist technology, we could always just leave and take it with us." Luthor held a confident smirk, knowing that the First Order couldn't refuse this.

"Perhaps we should talk this out further."

...

It was several hours later when they came to an arrangement, allowing several First Order cargo vessels to land and start loading in a number of their purchases. The whole trip hadn't exactly been inexpensive to the First Order, but they had been allowed to test the tech they bought to ensure that it actually did what they said it did, and Snoke himself was fairly confident in his choice.

Meanwhile, Lex and the Brain watched as their wares were taken out of sight, with Snoke, Phasma and the Supreme Leader's Dark Trooper overlooking the exchange from a high vantage point.

For a brief moment, Luthor could swear that the Phase III Dark Trooper was also looking over the technology with more interest than it should have. Red eyes stared at the weapons and technology, seemingly scanning it with more desire than a mere machine should have.

But the moment passed and abruptly the machine returned to its guard routines, just as Snoke and Phasma walked over to the two supervillains. Lex smirked in spite of himself.

"Your payment has been most generously received." The LexCorp owner said. "We appreciate your patronage."

"I assume we can contact you again?" When the Brain gave the affirmative, it was Snoke's turn to smirk. "Good. We may have need of your services very soon."

* * *

Aboard Omega, the mercenaries and slaves were hard at work, still attempting to repair the damage wrought by the Flood. So far, it was a slow process, considering a not inconsiderable amount of Omega's population had been consumed by the Parasite.

One man clad in an Eclipse uniform walked through the alleys of Omega, trying to avoid being noticed in such a place. Unfortunately, his good fortune inevitably ran out when a pair of Krogan and a two Blue Suns troopers came across him.

"Well, well, well." One of the Krogan murmured. "What do we have here?"

"Gentleman, what can I do for you?" He asked, briefly looking behind him to see both his exits blocked.

"We should be asking you the same question." The Blue Suns Centurion said. "You're not a member of Eclipse, are you? Your face isn't registered in their roster."

"You're going to have to come with us." The younger Krogan said, as all of them raised their weapons to point it at the Eclipse-clad imposter. "Or we will kill you where you stand."

"Yeah, I was afraid of that."

Without warning, the impostor hurled a knife directly at the Krogan, which actually managed to pierce through his kinetic barriers, and the plate protecting his brain. Stunned for a split second, the Blue Suns quickly recovered and opened fire, but the rounds simply passed through him, before the seeming hologram dissipated.

Their target was fighting the other Krogan in hand to hand, and was effortlessly winning in spite of the size difference. He threw the Krogan at the Blue Suns patrol, before finishing it off by hurling knives into their chests.

He knew he wouldn't have much time. The bodies would inevitably be discovered before he could get rid of them, and they would be looking for someone in his current armor. Recovering his knives, he left the alleyway and with little effort, his outfit changed into that of a Mandalorian.

No jetpack of course, but it would allow him to avoid suspicion for the moment. Once he had put enough distance between himself and the crime scene, he switched his uniform again. With any luck, they would assume the two sides killed each other.

Obviously, he couldn't keep this up forever. Taking random appearances didn't always work very well, this latest encounter was proof enough of that. It seemed that he might very well need to to actually let himself be recruited, at least as an actual cover. Brushing off the revulsion of that thought, he reluctantly headed to the nearest recruitment station.

Fortunately, the recruitment office was still operational, and many of Omega's residents were more than willing to join up, especially given the alternative was slaving away to rebuild the station, while working in dangerous conditions.

Better still, even with the Shadow Collective's tightened security, many residents had gone unregistered in the criminal organization's logs, which meant that detail wouldn't be a problem. All he had to do was blend in with the crowd.

"Name?" The recruiter's bored voice asked him.

"Call me Kilo."

"Not the worst name I've heard." The Falleen muttered, before reciting the standard speech in a tone that indicated he'd rather be anywhere else. You needed your own personal weapon, you weren't actually a member of any of the merc gangs that comprised the Shadow Collective, and you started at the bottom of the ladder.

"Understood." 'Kilo' said, as he was dispatched to the closest barracks.

It certainly wasn't the worst that had happened to him, and he had managed to get himself out of those situations, but it was still irksome to be subordinate to a bunch of jumped up thugs pretending to be warriors.

He would endure, that much he knew, but he still had to move cautiously. As he walked past one of the docking bays, he saw a sleeker vessel land in its berth, and a somewhat strange event happened.

As Kilo watched, a young female met up with a hoversled carrying a pair of Mandalorians. Without a word, they briskly escorted her aboard and then headed in the direction of the former Afterlife bar.

Eyes narrowed, Kilo resolved to keep an eye on the situation.

* * *

Once Vestara had been escorted to Omega's command center, she had been greeted by Darth Maul and a dozen blasters pointed at her. Atriox was watching via hologram as Maul warned that she had sixty seconds to explain why she was here and what her plan to kill Snoke was before he lost patience.

In that amount of time, she quickly explained what she intended to do: she would guide them to a false meeting, allowing the stealth ships to follow and give the codes to allow a strike team access. From there, Banished and Collective forces would distract the Stormtroopers and Dark Troopers, while she, Maul and Atriox would take Snoke head on.

"That's certainly ambitious." Maul noted after she was finished. "Yet, you never answered the original question. You've worked with him for years, why do you want him dead now?" Vestara was silent for a second.

"There's something different about him." She said at last. "His presence feels malevolent, far more than it ever was. The only beings who I've seen worse from are Abeloth and the Flood. To be honest, I think something is controlling him, taking over his body."

"Do you have any evidence of this?" Maul asked.

"No, I don't." Vestara admitted. "But you and I both know such a thing is possible."

"And how can we know to trust you?" Atriox asked. "Your reputation does precede you, Vestara."

"Like his does?" She countered, gesturing to the Zabrak Sith Lord. "Look, you want him dead, and I'm willing to help you with this matter. You don't have to trust me personally, but trust that much at least."

"We... will have to consider this." Maul gestured to his Mandalorians. "Escort her outside while we discuss this."

The soldiers complied and escorted Vestara out of the room. She was able to get one last view of the two of them before the door closed, leaving Maul and Atriox's hologram to converse on her own.

"Do you trust her?"

"Oh not in the slightest." The Sith shook his head. "But she is telling the truth and is willing to help us kill Snoke."

"You're sure?" Atriox crossed his arms.

"Fairly certain." Maul replied. "She is afraid of him, but that fear has yet to consume her. She will help us kill him, we can trust that much."

"And after?" The Banished warmaster countered. "Killing Snoke won't topple the First Order."

"Perhaps not, but it will destabilize it." Maul's arms folded behind his back. "And regardless, we need Snoke dead, preferably sooner, rather than later." Atriox paused to think, then reluctantly nodded.

"Then tell her that we accept." Atriox said. "I'll assemble a strike team. When the time comes, we will be ready."

...

In a First Order recruiting office on this jungle planet, things were rather quiet today. The rain had picked up, leaving many civilians preferring to stay indoors. So when a figure clad in a wet cloak emerged, the recruiting officer didn't bat an eye.

"You here to sign up?" The officer asked.

"In a manner of speaking. I would like to request an audience with your leader." The man said, pulling down his hood and revealing the red and skull shape of his head. "I believe he and I have a lot to talk about."

* * *

 **Yes, that is exactly who you think it is. Suffice to say, his arrival does not bring good tidings. He will have his own role to play later, rest assured. As for everything else, well, things certainly will get hectic next chapter, I can promise you that.**

 **Also a bit of a milestone here, because with this chapter, this is the first story I've written that has surpassed a hundred thousand words. Go me, I guess.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	25. It's a Trap

**Well, it's time to begin the next chapter. To Recap important events: Snoke meets Lex Luthor and the Brain, who sell them samples of Separatist technology. Meanwhile, Vestara meets up with Maul and Atriox and offers her aid in killing the Supreme Leader of the First Order.**

 **Plus a bunch of other stuff happens that will certainly play a very critical role shortly. But enough talk, let's dive right in to the next chapter, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Bionicle, Young Justice or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

"We have a location."

"Where?"

"Vardos. It's a planet that was under the protection of the First Order before the Tidal Wave, and it suffered heavily during the Flood attack. There are barely any survivors there now, though."

"Meaning it's the perfect place to make unseen deals."

"And we're sure that that's where they are?"

"Positive. But we need to move quickly. We don't know how much the First Order already has."

"Then let's not waste any more time."

...

"Here. This is where they'll be."

"Excellent. I'll lead the strike team personally."

...

As Vestara flew the shuttle through the clouds, she found the view of Vardos' capital city to be a rather stunning sight, especially in the sunset. For a brief instant, the memories of Tahv surfaced and she found herself missing home.

Then the moment passed and she was focused once more. Following the landing beacon, she set the shuttle down in the courtyard right next to the administrative building. Two lines of First Order troopers were in formation, leading straight to the entry of the capital building.

She didn't look back as muffled screams and blasterfire erupted behind her, didn't bother turning when the conflict abruptly ceased, and didn't even glance at Darth Maul and Atriox as they took up position just behind her and to each side.

The Banished and Shadow Collective soldiers had taken the First Order troopers current position, scanning the area and watching for threats from any other Stormtroopers, while the two leaders followed Vestara inside.

"Wait here." The young Sith requested, just as they were standing near the stairs to the atrium balcony. "Get upstairs and wait for my signal."

"Don't disappoint us, Miss Khai." Maul growled as he stalked off to do what had been requested of him.

With the Brute and Zabrak gone, Vestara entered the atrium, finding Snoke looking at the crest of the Empire that had been emblazoned on the far wall. He turned his head slightly as she approached.

"Ah Vestara," He turned fully, his arms clasped behind his back."why is that you summoned me here?"

"To what I need to to survive." She punctuated that statement with the hiss of an igniting lightsaber, causing the Supreme Leader to smirk.

"How very Sith of you." He looked up to the upper balcony. "Are you two going to come out now, or are you going to wait as Vestara does all the work?"

He didn't have to wait long for an answer. Maul leapt to the ground floor, with both the Darksaber and his own lightsaber ignited in his hands. Seconds later, Atriox did the same, with Chainbreaker ignited in his left hand.

"So, you've decided to make your move, have you?"

"It is time for our little alliance to come to an end." Atriox said.

"Too true." Snoke's hands appeared in front of him, with a lightsaber hilt in each one. "Our partnership is no longer needed."

"It's over, Supreme Leader." Maul said. "Our forces can be here before you could even call for reinforcements."

"Can they really?" Snoke chuckled. "Shall we test that theory?"

Suddenly, a hundred Stormtroopers appeared on the balcony above, all armed with older model Separatist weapons. All of which were pointed at the two Sith and the Banished warmaster on the atrium below. Maul and Atriox both turned their gazes to Vestara.

"You lured us into a trap." Atriox snarled.

"Oh she did, one she didn't even know of." The new voice drew their gaze to a bald man in a business suit and a brain in jar like robot emerging from behind the Imperial crest. "How could she, after all?

"This is your doing?" Vestara asked, looking at both Snoke and the new arrival.

"Indeed." Snoke said. "You really shouldn't have betrayed me, Vestara. Still, given time, I can certainly fix your... attitude problems."

"You've upgraded then." Atriox snorted.

"Quite an impressive arsenal, isn't it?" The new man said, his own attention on Maul and Atriox. "All of it Separatist technology."

"Your friends outside are learning zat, ze hard way." The cyborg brain added.

"I know you." Maul's eyes narrowed.

"I would hope so." Lex Luthor said calmly, before turning to Snoke. "I believe this should be more than adequate?"

"Very much so." Snoke smirked. "Payment has been provided as promised." He turned to Maul, Atriox and Vestara, who were now back to back in a vague triangle. "Now, you three are going to drop your weapons, or this is going to get ugly, very, very quickly.

"You're not going anywhere, Luthor!" The unexpected voice emerged from the shadows, with Arsenal pointing a crossbow at the businessman. Multiple guns pointed in his direction as Lex's smile disappeared.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Harper." Lex's voice was no longer smug. "I guess it was only a matter of time before you found us."

"You could say that again." Superboy suddenly dropped down behind him, with Wolf right beside him and growling angrily. "This ends now."

"I wouldn't say that." A turret emerged from the Brain and immediately fired, sending Superboy and Wolf flying. Arsenal fired at Luthor, only for the explosive arrow to abruptly reverse direction and fly back toward him. The explosion knocked him back again.

In the next instant, the room exploded into chaos. One of the Stormtroopers turned into Miss Martian, who immediately tossed the Stormtroopers nearest to her aside, before telekinetically tossing chunks of debris.

A streak entered the building and in less than five seconds, all the Stormtroopers were disarmed of their advanced weaponry, which Impulse threw in a pile in the middle of the room. Blue Beetle appeared took the opportunity to melt the pile into slag.

"Surrender now." Nightwing emerged, standing on top of the Imperial crest. "And I promise we'll go easy on you."

He never got a chance to say anything else, as the son of Batman began choking, alongside most of the other heroes. In the center of the room stood Snoke, his eyes ablaze with fury as he held his hand aloft.

"I will not be denied!" With a gesture, he sent all the heroes flying back, landing amidst the Stormtroopers and beginning a rather chaotic brawl.

Snoke didn't have time to celebrate, instead he stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding Vestara's thrown Parang. The curved blade began turning, but an off hand gesture from Snoke shattered it into fragments.

In the distraction, Atriox used Chainbreaker to hurl a massive chunk of debris, but Snoke simply sliced through it with a lightsaber. This gave Maul time to move up and attempt to strike Snoke from behind, but he casually blocked Maul's blow with his other lightsaber, before flicking two fingers and sending the Zabrak flying back.

Vestara hurled a blast of Force Lightning as she closed the gap, with the Supreme Leader casually blocking it with his lightsabers. She tried to swing at his legs, but he blocked with one lightsaber and tried to decapitate her, forcing the Keshiri-born Sith to break off her attack.

While backflipping away, she hurled a Force Push at him, sending him into close quarters with Atriox. The Brute swung his gravity mace at the floor, sending Snoke into the air. Simultaneously, he tried to grab him with his gauntlet, but Snoke managed to kick it away before unleashing a Force push of his own to blast the Banished leader back.

...

While the duel was continuing below, Luthor and the Brain were attempting to make their escape. They knew that the weaponless Stormtroopers would only be able to hold off the heroes for so long before they were dealt with and resolved not to be present when they were done.

Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy.

"You're done, Luthor." Aqualad swung down from the balcony, slicing through the Brain's laser turret as they tried to flee. "This little crime spree of yours is over." He pointed his water sword at the LexCorp CEO. Meanwhile, Superboy and Wolf jumped up behind them.

"I don't think so." Suddenly, Luthor's usual suit was replaced with plates of green and purple. He grabbed Aqualad before he could react and threw him through the wall, before raising his hands and firing green energy blasts at Wolf and Superboy.

"We're just getting started."

...

Meanwhile, the duel between Snoke, Vestara, Maul and Atriox continued, and despite the 3 to 1 advantage, Snoke almost effortlessly held his own, parrying blows and hurling Force attacks of his own.

Atriox was rather quick for someone of his size, he had to be to actually get into a fist fight with SPARTAN-IIs and win, but Snoke was moving rather quickly, even for him, and soon Atriox found himself on the defensive.

His energy shields were barely blocking Snoke's lightsaber strikes, and he was almost effortlessly dealing with Maul and Vestara at the same time. When Vestara had said he had grown more powerful, she had really undersold just how powerful he was now. And she soon found out the hard way.

With a blast of Force lightning, Vestara was out of the fight, and he casually hurled Atriox into the roof, leaving an imprint of the Brute in the ceiling. Finally, he turned to Maul, a cruel smirk on his face.

"Now, it's just you and me." A vicious blow was parried by Maul, who grimaced as he held it off with the Darksaber.

"Who are you?" The Sith Lord spat, his blade slowly getting pushed back. He broke the blade lock and struck with his red lightsaber, but it was immediately batted away by Snoke's other lightsaber. "I know you're not Snoke."

"You really don't remember me?" Snoke viciously kicked Maul back, a grin on his face as the Sith struggled to rise. "Perhaps this will give you a good reminder."

"Far above, far above, we don't know where we'll fall. Far above, far above, what once was great is rendered small." Snoke's grin turned vicious. "Does that jog your memory, my former apprentice?" Maul's eyes widened in shock and terror.

"Master?!"

* * *

 **Dun, dun, DUN! Well that's certainly an evil cliffhanger to leave you guys on. I apologize for the abrupt ending there, but this chapter was kinda getting too long, so I decided to split it into two parts. Rest assured, the rest of this will be out soon.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	26. Escaping the Trap

**Alright, and now we shall be begin the next chapter right from where we left off. Well, not exactly, there is another scene that happens which will become important here, but trust me, things are going to be interesting. Anyway, let's just dive in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own, Halo, Star Wars, blah, blah, blah, you all know the drill.**

* * *

The space battle that raged above Vardos was not going well for the Shadow Collective and the Banished. They had been hiding just outside the system when their leaders sent a distress call, and jumped into orbit immediately.

Once they got there, the two criminal factions were ambushed by a large amount of First Order ships, with more Star Destroyers than either side had believed they had. To make matters worse, their weapons were much more powerful than they had been before, destroying a number of criminal capital ships in a matter of minutes.

But then something even more unusual happened: several of the Star Destroyers suddenly went dark, as a blue and red blur shot through them, two red beams tearing up the engines of one before tanking the barrage of missiles like it was nothing.

Superman wasn't the only hero present, as Captain Atom also began tearing through multiple warships, alongside Icon, the Martian Manhunter and Rocket. The criminal organizations were hoping to capitalize on that, but the heroes were more than willing to turn against them, going the extra distance to actually disable the ships with minimal loss of life instead of destroying them outright.

Unfortunately, the First Order upgrades obtained from Luthor had included some more esoteric weaponry, as Superman first learned the hard way when a turret spun towards him and started firing red energy beams.

He was forced to retreat as the red sun energy began taking its toll. Similarly powerful weapons were turned on the heroes as the First Order made their displeasure with the Justice League clear.

Through all the chaos of the battle, no one noticed as a unknown ship appeared from interdimensional space. It was a relatively small transport, rather nimble for its size as the ship weaved through the chaos of the battle almost effortlessly.

Plotting a course for Vardos' capital building, the ship began making its descent.

...

The fighting throughout the building was was getting both more and less chaotic. While most of the Stormtroopers had already been dealt with, Luthor and the Brain were putting up a surprisingly good fight against the heroes.

The battle suit the businessman was wearing had been designed with fighting Superman in mind, which was more than sufficient to deal with the current team present. The Brain was no slouch either, unleashing a massive array of weaponry and keeping the weaker heroes off balance.

But for Darth Maul, that whole battle was barely worth the recognition. Instead, he Atriox and Vestara Khai had been caught up in a fight against the much more powerful Supreme Leader Snoke. It was only after Vestara and Atriox were knocked out of the fight that Maul learned just why Snoke was so powerful.

"Master?!"

A distinct cackle emanated from Snoke's mouth, the voice still his, but the tone and inflections very clearly those of Darth Sidious, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire and the single greatest Sith Lord the galaxy had ever known.

"Good, good. You do remember." Snoke, no, Palpatine gripped Maul with the Force and pinned him to the wall, unleashing powerful strikes of Force Lightning against the lesser Sith Lord. "And this, this has been long overdue."

Maul screamed in agony, and fell to the floor, his body still sparking. But despite the pain and choked breathing, a noise emanated from the young Sith Lord that Sidious wasn't expecting. Wheezing laughter mixed with coughing emerged from Maul as he struggled to his knees.

"You think-you think I fear you anymore?" Maul coughed. "I have faced enemies that would make you beg for mercy. I have adapted and grown, while you? You are just a relic from a bygone era. You are nothing, Sidious. You are nothing more than a patch of darkness struggling against the light."

Sidious's sadistic smile vanished and Palpatine simply let loose with Force Lightning, aiming to make his former apprentice suffer. But he realized too late that he had made a mistake, and barely had enough time to avoid Atriox slamming Chainbreaker down on him.

The shockwave sent him flying, and flipped in mid-air to land on his feet, before sliding underneath the waiting lightsaber blade of Vestara Khai. Palpatine overwhelmed her with a flurry of strikes, then blocked the lightning sent by his apprentice.

...

Their battle continued inside, while outside, the First Order forces were still overwhelming the Shadow Collective and Banished troopers with the arsenal they now possessed. But the tide of the battle was about to turn once more, as a ship rocketed down through the atmosphere.

A number of units spotted it, and several First Order AT-STs turned their attention to it, with blasterfire streaking through the sky and impacting against the ship's shields. But the vessel had been clearly upgraded, allowing it to land safely in spite of the fire.

Several First Order soldiers moved in just as the landing ramp lowered, letting loose with blasterfire as a figure walked out. But the energy bolts vanished before they could even touch the figure.

A strange spinner-projectile struck them all, seemingly leaving them no worse for wear. Unfortunately, their perception of time had been reversed by a few seconds, and they only learned this too late when their lives sped up thousands of years and they aged into dust.

The Shadowed One followed behind Voporak, alongside Sentrakh and more of his Dark Hunters, smirking all the while. Conflict raged around them, causing chaos, destruction and leaving so many dead on the ground.

The Dark Hunters were right at home in such a conflict.

"You all know your assigned roles." The Shadowed One said. "We're here to for one objective. Once we have it, we are leaving." The leader of the Dark Hunters turned to Voporak. "Clear a path."

The altered Steltian did as ordered and casually walked through the city, demolishing buildings, structures and soldiers with every step he took. A single massive AT-AT stood in his way, but even it could not stop the rise of the Dark Hunters.

The walker collapsed as Voporak walked between its legs, with the other Dark Hunters more than willing to take care of the survivors. Soon, their target was in sight, as the battle continued to rage on between the criminals and the former PMC.

But the tide shifted as the Dark Hunters began slaughtering their way through the First Order, their esoteric abilities taking the First Order by surprise. Savage's Rhotuka paralyzed a Dark Trooper, leaving it open to being liquefied by his Tri-Claw.

Lurker mercilessly carved his way through the Stormtrooper ranks, alongside Gatherer. Firedracax unleashed his own Rhotuka, burning through a dozen Stormtroopers, while Kraata-Kal added its own fire and Shadow powers to that effect.

Prototype absorbed several rockets without a scratch, before burying the attackers who had done so underground. And all the while the Shadow Collective and Banished forces were stunned at the proceedings.

"Who-who are you?" One Mandalorian asked, his weapons aimed at them.

"For the moment, we are allies." The Shadowed One's eyes narrowed. "Though that may change if you shoot me." Reluctantly, the Death Watch commando lowered his weapon. "That's better. Now, where are your leaders?"

"They're in there." One Brute pointed to the capital building. "We've been trying to get in, but the First Order have blocked our path."

"Not anymore." The Shadowed One turned to two of his Dark Hunters. "Charger, Gladiator, open a path inside."

With their affirmations, the two Hunters nodded and charged the door, heedless of the people caught in their path. Battering aside the Stormtroopers and commandos protecting the building, they broke their way in.

* * *

The battle against Luthor and the Brain was not going as well as the Team had hoped. Lex's armor and the Brain's weapons were putting up a hell of a fight, having already knocked Impulse out while the Brain was keeping Blue Beetle restrained in some sort of energy cage.

Connor was just getting back up after being struck by another kryptonite blast when he heard something outside. The wall collapsed behind Superboy, the force of the blow sending him flying. A biomechanical being entered, almost looking like a bull in some ways.

Another being entered, its body covered in razor sharp claws. Together, both looked more than capable of and willing to level the whole building. M'gann wasted no time however, and telekinetically launched them aside, throwing one of them at Luthor.

The victory was short-lived as a spinner struck her, leaving the Martian shrouded in darkness and struggling to escape. Sentrakh emerged from the hole and launched another Rhotuka spinner at Nightwing, who leapt aside and narrowly avoided being turned to sand by the spinner, which struck a section of the nearest wall.

The Brain responded by firing a laser beam at Sentrakh, forcing him to back up. But the Shadowed One emerged and immediately put a stop to that, using his staff to trap the cyborg supervillain in a mound of crystalline protodermis. With him contained, the Shadowed One looked over the Team.

"These are the best operatives of the Republic?" The Dark Hunter leader snorted. "Children?"

"The Shadowed One, I assume?" Aqualad raised his water bearers. "Leader of the Dark Hunters. You're a wanted criminal as well."

"Then you have two options now, don't you." The Shadowed One smirked. "Take me in, or lose the ones you actually came here for."

That was the moment Lex freed himself and blasted Gladiator aside, before unleashing more energy blasts against the heroes. With their distraction returned, the Shadowed One turned to the balconies, where another battle was raging.

...

Outside, Voporak continued his role as a walking wasteland through the First Order lines, proving once more just how dangerous he was. It was why the Republic had kept him in such a secure cell, suspended in the air by gravity generators to keep his temporal field from allowing him to break free. It had taken the former Supreme Commander to imprison him the first time, and the First Order soldiers were learning that lesson the hard way.

Everything in his way simply crumbled and fell, thousands of years catching up to them in an instant. One Phase I Dark Trooper moved in to strike, but it even the semi-indestructible machine couldn't withstand the concentrated ravages of time, and fell apart almost instantly.

As he kept moving outside the building, another explosion expelled several humanoid individuals, most of them the colorful heroes from that one Earth. One of the individuals was the Brain, who immediately unleashed energy beams upon seeing him.

The beams dissipated before they could even touch Voporak. Most of the other heroes attempted the same, but it was an exercise in futility. Explosives, projectiles, arrows and batarangs, all of them simply turned to dust before they could strike the former Steltian.

So unlike most of the First Order soldiers, they did the smart thing and retreated, knowing that nothing in their arsenals would have a chance at even scratching him. This allowed the Dark Hunter continued onward to his major destination.

He headed to the First Order shuttle, where Snoke's personal Dark Trooper was waiting. The Shadowed One had suggested grounding the Supreme Leader here on the off-chance that he ended up escaping the Shadowed One's ambush, and that's what Voporak intended to do.

Voporak approached the Phase III Dark Trooper, which unleashed its entire arsenal against him. Unsurprisingly, it made no difference whatsoever, and the droid slowly backed away as his approach became inevitable.

Suddenly, one of the super heroes landed in front of him, Superboy to be precise, dazed from being struck by a kryptonite blast. Miss Martian flew out and saw what was happening, and in an instant, she unleashed a powerful mental attack at the Dark Hunter.

Voporak briefly clutched his head, but overpowered her efforts as best as he could when suddenly the air left his lungs: he couldn't breathe. Between the lack of oxygen and the Martian's mental attack, Voporak collapsed, the last thing he saw was M'gann telekinetically tossing the Dark Trooper aside before moving to Superboy.

...

As M'gann flew towards Superboy's groaning body, she briefly felt a presence poke at her mind. It wasn't actively trying to break in, rather it was a brief psychic probe. But it was gone as quickly as it came, and she was much more focused on keeping Connor away from the temporal Dark Hunter.

 _Are you alright?_

 _I'll be fine, but man, Kryptonite still hurts._

 _Uh guys, we could use your help!_ Nightwing's thoughts became 'vocal' over the mental link. _I think we might have a way to shut Luthor's suit down, but we have to work fast._

 _I can do fast._ Impulse interjected.

 _What does this plan need?_

 _Everyone of us._ Aqualad answered. _We are not letting these two get away again._

 _What about the Dark Hunters?_ Blue Beetle asked.

 _For now, they're a secondary concern._ Nightwing thought. _I just got a report from the League; the First Order's already armed their ships with weapons that can hurt them. We can't let them get any more._

 _Acknowledged, we're on our way._

...

Superboy and Miss Martian flew and leapt back into the building, just as the Phase III Dark Trooper recovered. The machine rose to its feet, looking over Voporak with its red eyes. It didn't attack the seemingly vulnerable Dark Hunter, and instead launched itself away with its jump pack.

The movement drew the eyes of several of the Dark Hunters, some of whom began moving towards Voporak. Meanwhile, several Stormtroopers were close and attempted to capitalize on this seeming advantage, but found the hard way that the temporal field was still active, even while Voporak was unconscious.

And all the while, the battle continued on.

* * *

Palpatine now had his targets beaten and battered when a warning called out to him in the Force. He was able to bring a piece of debris up just in time to block a pair of eyebeams, which disintegrated the debris.

The figure who attacked him leapt down from his perch, revealing a biomechanical creature of mostly black and yellow, with a pair of red eyes glaring at him. There was a brief pause in their battle as Vestara asked the obvious question.

"Who are you?"

"For the moment, little one, I am your ally." The being said. "And I believe it's time to leave."

"You are not going anywhere." Palpatine snarled and lunged for the Dark Hunter, only to be struck by a spinner, causing him to become intangible and fall through the floor.

He fell past the fight between the heroes and Luthor, just as the former had finally dismantled the armor of the latter and completely disarmed the Brain. He solidified once more as Sentrakh's Rhotuka wore off, gracefully landing on the ground floor. But that brief moment left him vulnerable to the Shadowed One's own Rhotuka.

The spinner struck Snoke's body head on, the madness spinner taking its toll already. Unfortunately, this just meant Palpatine's powers went wildly out of control, causing structural damage to the building.

"I believe it's time to leave." Maul murmured, as Atriox and Vestara nodded.

The Shadowed One was quick to order his own forces to do the same, with Charger, Gladiator and Sentrakh clearing another path through the now ravaged battlefield. Voporak was following as well, noticeably staggering from what seemed like confusion or drowsiness.

Nevertheless, the disorganized retreat went as well as could be expected for the Dark Hunters, with almost no casualties on their end as they fell back to the ship that brought them there.

They stayed long enough to cover the retreat of the Shadow Collective and Banished survivors, tracking the courses of both factions as they launched their vessels and fled into the battle above that now winding down.

The Dark Hunters soon followed, their ship rocketing into space, as what was left of the Shadow Collective and Banished forces fled from the battle. The League and Team had also retreated with their prizes in tow, leaving the First Order to clean up the mess.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. Honestly, I had quite a bit of fun with this one, especially considering everything that was going on. Still, I did kinda run out of steam near the end there, which is why the ending was a little rushed. Sorry about that.**

 **Anyway, certain things will be happening in the next chapter, but I can't say what they are quite yet. However, it's likely that this particular story will soon draw to a close, as I kinda need a break from this. It's not happening yet, but it will be within the next few chapters.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	27. Negotiations

**Welcome one and all to the latest chapter of Shadow of Order. At this point, we're kind of in the falling action stage of this story, where this fic starts to draw to a close. That's not to say that there aren't a few more plot threads that will be introduced, but those will gain focus in a later story.**

 **But enough about that, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle, etc, do you even read these anymore?**

* * *

The body of Snoke holding the spirit of Darth Sidious stood over the wreckage of the transport ships carrying Luthor and the Brain's caches of Separatist tech. The Republic agents had destroyed them in their retreat, leaving the former PMC with nothing.

To further add to Palpatine's fury, most of the fleet he had called in had suffered severe damage from those same heroes, which allowed the two criminal fleets in orbit to flee.

Combine that with those 'Dark Hunters' foiling his trap for Maul, Vestara and Atriox, and the former Emperor and current Supreme Leader was not in the best of moods at the moment.

So it was with great reluctance that General Hux approached the body of the Supreme Leader, fear wafting off him in ways that were patently obvious to a Force-user, especially one as powerful as Palpatine.

"Your report, General." The Sith Lord said, causing Hux to cower even further.

"Your Highness... we lost all of the remaining stocks of Separatist weaponry, and our fleet has suffered considerable damage-HURK!" Hux was lifted into the air by Palpatine, who hadn't even bothered moving.

"I'm disappointed, General." Sidious growled. "Surely, you can do better than this." He dropped Hux, the General drawing in a ragged breath. "Scavenge everything you can from the wreckage, and get our forces redeployed. We are leaving this planet."

Hux was quick to do as he was told, ordering the salvage teams to get to work while redeploying all combat personnel. Palpatine returned to his shuttle, his guards and Dark Trooper all waiting for him.

With a brief order to the pilot, the shuttle took off into orbit, allowing Snoke's body to see the wreckage of the First Order fleet. Fortunately, most of the damage could be easily repaired, but it was hard to acknowledge the fact that beings more powerful than even him were capable of such devastation.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone calling his holo terminal. Annoyed, the Supreme Leader activated the link, which displayed a hologram of a very terrified looking officer.

"My apologies for the intrusion, but we have someone here who would like to talk with you." The officer said quickly.

"This is why you called me?" Snoke's eyebrow raised. "This 'someone' had better be important."

"That depends on your definition of importance." Someone else pushed the officer aside, as a man with a red skull shaped head stepped into view.

"And who are you?"

"My name is Johann Schmidt." The new arrival said. "And I believe we can help each other."

* * *

Mata Nui stood on the island that was once his namesake, looking out across the sea of Aqua Magna. Most of the islands that contained Republic facilities could also be seen, many of them having already been rebuilt after the Tidal Wave.

The island wasn't originally supposed to be there any more. Originally it had been destroyed after Teridax took over his body, but the future Supreme Commander used his newfound powers to reconstruct the land while learning to control them.

After forming the Republic, he also created more islands in the middle of the Great Sea, in order to minimize the Republic's interference in Spherus Magna's affairs and to avoid taking over land needed for the Agori and Matoran.

Now, Mata Nui himself had returned and was using this place as a private retreat and HQ, just as the Supreme Commander and his closest allies had before him. Turning away from the balcony, Mata Nui headed back inside the fortress that stood where Ta-Koro once had.

There were considerable differences between the two fortresses of course: the newer one had much better defenses, with an energy shield that could project itself over the crater and more advanced walls, doors and battle emplacements.

The bridge over the lava was hard light in design, as opposed to several blocks in the lava itself, and anti-gravity devices had been placed underneath for safety in the unlikely event of a power failure.

But the most important part of this fortress were the communication arrays. With these, the leader of the Republic would be able to stay within constant communication to any Republic asset.

Of course, that wasn't the only major change to the island. Underneath were foundations that had once been the Great Spirit's head, replaced with a massive facility that had once belonged to a company called Aperture Science.

Most of the equipment there had been decommissioned and now served as Archives, replacing those that had been under Metru Nui. And deep in those Archives was a Vault, equipped with a ridiculous amount of security measures, and given what it contained, it was for a good reason.

Only three people had access to the Vault, and with the Supreme Commander now MIA, that left Mata Nui and Turaga Vakama with access to the treasure stored within that Vault.

 _Though that may change._

Shaking those thoughts away, Mata Nui returned his attention to the current situation at hand. Inside the spacious meeting room, Ackar and Kiina were already present, while Tahu teleported in shortly afterward.

Samus was soon to follow via teleportation, and once they were accounted for, the comm lines were opened, creating holograms of Grand Admiral Thrawn, Toa Helryx, Captain Atom, Nightwing and Aqualad. Several other officials also appeared by hologram, Republic and Separatist alike, and with them all here, the briefing began.

"What are the latest reports?"

...

The first order of business was on whether the Team and League were able to apprehend Lex Luthor and the Brain. The heroes were able to confirm that they had done so, but explained some of the complications that had emerged.

"They were selling technology to the First Order." Nightwing explained. "And it looks like they were able to sell off some of their anti-League designs."

"And that's not even accounting for whatever else they may have sold." Aqualad added.

"A grave complication." Thrawn put his hand to his chin. "This will prove problematic in the future."

Mata Nui was inclined to agree. One of their fears had been realized. Fortunately, most of the Separatist tech Luthor had was older and outdated. The Republic still held the technological advantage, but that gap was no longer as wide as some would like.

Furthermore, preliminary intelligence reported that the First Order numbers were surpassing the Republic's own: Shipyards were producing capital ships in a matter of weeks, while new soldiers and personnel could be cloned and flash-trained within a day.

"We cannot let them continue with this." Helryx agreed. "I suggest we launch military strikes against their facilities."

"I am inclined to agree." Mata Nui reluctantly sighed. "The First Order's behavior is unacceptable."

"What about your secret weapon?" Samus pointed out. "That may be necessary for this."

"I don't intend to use it, at least not yet." Mata Nui shook his head. "If circumstances get so bad that I need to, we're in major trouble. Besides, it still needs maintenance after the Tidal Wave."

"There's another issue." Captain Atom interjected. "The Dark Hunters were also present at Vardos, and from all indications, they may have formed an alliance with the Shadow Collective and Banished."

"Great." Kiina muttered. "As if we didn't have enough problems."

"Left unchecked, they could cause untold damage." Tahu agreed. "Especially if they have what we think they do."

"We can barely afford another conflict." One of the other officials protested. "Reconstruction efforts are still ongoing, and our forces are still at a fraction of our previous size."

"She's right." Ackar nodded. "The Citadel governments are still being integrated, and the Jedi are being hard-pressed to keep the peace."

"What about the other worlds?" Samus pointed out. "We still have a lot of peace to keep and support to acquire."

"Agreed. To start with, I suggest dispatching Artakha to Earth-199999." Mata Nui replied. "The support of the Asgardians, the Wakandans and Stark Industries will be vital."

There was a number of agreements, but before the meeting could continue, an AI appeared over the table, revealing that someone was contacting them, requesting to speak to Mata Nui directly. When asked what the source was, the AI was quick to answer.

"It's from the First Order."

* * *

Supreme Leader Snoke, or rather, Darth Sidious, looked out over the construction project that were the latest shipyards. Despite the losses on Vardos, the technology they had already was increasing their industry to heights previously unheard of.

And this was proven with the ship that was already under construction, and soon to be completed. A massive vessel armed to the teeth and approaching the size of one of the Separatist mega-dreadnoughts.

The Supremacy was a massive ship, equipped with seven Eclipse level superlasers. Each one had the power to sear a continent, and when combined together, had enough fire to vaporize an average sized planet. It could carry a fleet unto itself, as well as a massive army and all the equipment therein.

In the past, this one ship would considerably drain the First Order's resources and time, but not anymore. Already the shipyards were promising that more would be able to be constructed, with potentially five completed within the year.

Despite this, Palpatine knew it still wasn't enough to be a direct challenge to the Republic, especially in terms of firepower. Logistics were not nearly as much of a problem now either, but even that wouldn't give too much of an advantage against the superpower's own superior logistics.

And to top it all off, the Shadow Collective and Banished were still out there, now allied with Vestara Khai and those 'Dark Hunters.' The First Order was more powerful than it had ever been before, and even was far greater than the Empire was at its height, but it wasn't enough.

There was only one course of action that Palpatine could think of. It was distasteful for the Sith Lord to consider, but the wound to his pride would make their inevitable victory all the better.

"Get a line to the Republic." The Supreme Leader said abruptly. "Tell them I wish to speak to Mata Nui."

...

A hologram of Supreme Leader Snoke appeared in the middle of the table, directly facing Mata Nui. The First Order leader gave a bow just formal enough to be polite, an action that no one in the room believed was sincere.

"It is such an honor to meet the leader of the Republic." Snoke said. "My condolences for the loss of your Supreme Commander."

"I'm sure." Nightwing muttered under his breath.

"Supreme Leader Snoke." Mata Nui said diplomatically, his tone and face betraying no emotion. "You went to a lot of effort to contact us directly. And after Vardos, no less."

"Yes well, despite our... differences, your sentiment for unity is one I certainly agree with." Snoke clasped his hands behind his back. "Which is why I wish to request a cease-fire between the First Order and your Republic."

There was a pregnant pause as the Republic leaders digested that fact. Then Mata Nui spoke again.

"You are asking a lot, Supreme Leader. Your previous actions have not been in good faith before."

"The time for old grudges is over, is it not?" Snoke countered. "I know that's been your stance. The Flood have destroyed much, and I for one have no interest in continuing a pointless conflict."

Everyone in the room could see Snoke's real ploy here: he intended to use what Separatist technology he had to build up the First Order further, raising it to new heights that it never had before.

Unfortunately, as several officials were quick to point out, the Republic's own situation was not the best, and it would be in their best interest to decrease the amount of conflicts they were dealing with.

"And what of the criminal organizations?" Mata Nui asked. "The Shadow Collective and the Banished? What do they think of your little scheme?"

"I don't know what they think, nor do I care." Snoke crossed his arms. "They're criminals, and they need to be stopped."

"Some would they say the same about you."

"That was in the past." The Supreme Leader replied. "The Galactic Alliance and the Imperial Remnant have pledged their support to the First Order. We will help them rebuild, and any conflict with your Republic would disrupt that. Is that what you desire? More conflict and destruction in a multiverse that has already suffered so much?"

Unfortunately, no one in the room could really argue with that sentiment. So it was with great reluctance that Mata Nui agreed to accept the First Order's cease fire request. Once the hologram vanished, Thrawn was quick to speak up.

"You don't believe they'll keep their word, do you?"

"Not in the slightest." Mata Nui shook his head. "Which is why I'm authorizing covert operations against the First Order. The Yautja and Empire of the Hand will be helpful in that regard."

"Here's hoping." Samus murmured.

"Still, this cuts down on the number of problems we have." Ackar pointed out. "So there is one positive thing to come out out of this."

"Hopefully that will last." Captain Atom murmured.

...

Palpatine smirked as the hologram vanished, feeling much better about the First Order's current chances. His cease fire request had been accepted, allowing the First Order to expand with less fear, and more importantly, the Sith Lord now had an idea of what the Republic's current leader was like.

And so far, he was unimpressed. Like many sapient beings, he would rather wait and build up their strength, not realizing that the best chance to destroy the First Order would be right now, while they were vulnerable as well.

"Supreme Leader." Captain Phasma emerged from main entrance, bowing as she approached. "We have your guest here."

"Send him in." Snoke took one last glance at the data pad containing the man's abilities.

What he saw was certainly impressive; in hand to hand combat, he had utterly outfought a platoon of armed soldiers as well as several Phase I Dark Troopers, something on par with even the Spartans.

"Mr. Schmidt." Snoke greeted as the soldier in question was escorted in. "It seems we have much to learn from each other."

"So glad we can agree." Red Skull bowed politely. "And I know how to start."

...

The Phase III Dark Trooper was standing off in a concealed compartment, waiting to intervene on the off chance this meeting went south. At least, that's what Sidious had ordered of it, but unknown to him, its mind was not inactive.

This new player's mind was an open book, revealing quite a number of things. He required more knowledge, of course, but these new elements would prove beneficial to his plans.

Of course, that assumed that the Flood hadn't already dealt with them. Their existence was certainly something to be concerned about, but with them gone, the multiverse was ripe for the taking. And it would be he, not Palpatine, sitting on the resulting throne.

The only thing he had to worry about now was his brother, but he had no intention of fighting him until he was ready. He had fallen once before, only to be offered an unexpected second chance at life. And he had no intention of losing again.

* * *

On the former UEG held world, things had not gone well for the Shadow Collective occupiers. Several UNSC ships had been dispatched to the planet, smashing through the criminal vessels in orbit before bombing concentrations of mercenaries and deploying ground forces to clean out any survivors.

Unfortunately for them, the First Order ships appeared soon after, and began battling the UNSC forces. While normally the latter would've wiped the floor with the former, the combination of an under-strength fleet and Separatist technology meant the First Order held the upper hand.

Of course, it certainly wasn't one-sided: ship to ship, both sides were evenly matched, as a Cruiser demonstrated when its spinal MAC round gutted a Star Destroyer, but the UNSC were still outnumbered and decided to withdraw, retreating into slipspace.

Knowing that they were liable to return, and in greater numbers, the First Order was quick to act, sending down strike teams to recover their objectives. The mission itself was simple.

The First Order knew that the Shadow Collective had had a base on this planet, with some form of sensitive data. They weren't entirely sure what was on the data, but after the Tidal Wave, the fact that the criminals were still after it meant that it had to be something worthwhile.

With their objective in mind, the Stormtroopers and other variants like Shadow Troopers and Storm Commandos were deployed to the remains of the mercenary base, expecting to encounter some resistance in the form of either surviving mercenaries or UNSC soldiers.

Instead what they found was a graveyard. Bodies littered the ground, with ODSTs and Spartans in particular bearing some unusual wounds, as it seemed like fire or ice had killed them.

They even found one Spartan-IV completely frozen in a block of ice, his suit breached in multiple places from icicles that had formed inside his skin. To say the Stormtroopers found themselves a little unnerved was an understatement.

Still, the cloned soldiers were professional and refused to chatter unnecessarily, so they kept moving into the underground facility. Once one of the squads made it into the control room, they found that all the data had been wiped clean.

"Sir, the data's not here." The Squad leader reported. "It's been wiped clean."

"Copy that Lieutenant." There was pause. "Standby, we're detecting an unknown life form moving on your position." That got all the soldiers alert, but the tense moment was dashed when a bird flew out of the vent, cawing all the while.

"It's just a bird, sir." The Lieutenant reported, as the rest of the squad lowered their weapons. Seconds later, they found out just how wrong they were.

The raven landed right in front of them, only for it to shift into a human figure, and causing the Stormtroopers to raise their weapons. She was wearing a strange mask and leaning against a crumbled piece of wall.

"I assume you guys are looking for this?" The woman held up a data disk. "Because that's what everyone else was after as well."

"Hand it over, now." The Lieutenant said, his weapon unwavering. The woman just smirked.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" She gestured to the bodies currently littering the room. "That didn't go well for these guys either."

"We have reinforcements on the ground, and a fleet in orbit. You won't escape."

"That's debatable." The smirk in her tone was palpable. "You know, I can just slaughter you like I did those others until your ships decide to bomb the planet, causing more unneeded death and destruction. Or, we can strike a deal, and if you get me off this planet, I'll give you the data."

There was a tense moment where no one moved, the commanding Lieutenant calculating the situation in his head. His loyalty screamed for him to crush anyone defying the First Order, but his training and reason was pushing that aside.

If it was true that this woman was responsible for all the bodies outside, then they didn't have a chance at beating her, and if they tried, all it would result in is more senseless death and destruction.

Whereas humoring her would easily get them the data, and if the cards were played right, a powerful warrior in service to the First Order. With that thought, the Lieutenant gestured for his men to stand down.

"Smart boy." Raven Branwen pulled off her mask, a smirk growing on her face. "Now take me to your leader."

* * *

Darth Maul, Vestara Khai and Atriox were now aboard Omega, the mobile space station being the closest asset available to them after the disastrous mission on Vardos. They weren't quite ready to discuss things yet; instead they were waiting for their unexpected allies to show up.

The Sith Lord was preoccupied looking over what his forces currently had access to, knowing that the First Order and his master would inevitably strike back against them. The cargo they had managed to save from Sera would definitely prove useful in one way or another, but it still wasn't enough to stop Palpatine.

 _My former master._ It was hard for Maul to believe. After the stories and rumors he had heard about the Empire's fall, the younger Sith had assumed that his master had long since perished so many years ago.

How he had returned was currently a mystery, but the Zabrak would hazard a guess that it had something to do with what the Gravemind had done to the Force. _Is it doing this to spite me? Is this the Gravemind's further punishment?_

His musings were interrupted when the Dark Hunter vessel finally arrived, appearing out of interdimensional space and making a beeline for the docking bay. The vessel was guided in carefully, landing gently on the pad.

The ship they arrived in was unlike any the Sith and Brute had ever seen before. It vaguely looked like it might have been a design from Citadel Space, but only in the most broadest of senses. Something about it seemed far more advanced than Mass Effect technology could achieve on its own.

Pushing that thought aside, Maul and Atriox were waiting in an adjacent meeting room with several of their advisers. Vestara had been barred from participating, mainly due to her untrustworthy nature to the Shadow Collective and Banished. Surprisingly, she had agreed with little complaint, and was confined in a former apartment while they figured out what to do with her.

Vestara had already been escorted away, while the Shadowed One, Sentrakh and Lariska were escorted into the meeting room. Inside were Atriox, Maul, Laccabeus, Voridus, Pavium, Gar Saxon and Rook Kast.

"Such an honor to meet such esteemed individuals." The leader said, bowing his slightly, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice. "To grace your presence-"

"Get to the point." Atriox crossed his arms. "Why did you come to Vardos? Why save us?"

"I desire an alliance." The being replied, his eyes narrowed from the interruption. "In exchange for supplies, transportation and money, you will have the service of my Dark Hunters at your disposal."

"You ask a lot for someone we've never heard of." Maul countered. "Your agents may be powerful, but we still don't even know your name."

"Then I suppose introductions are in order." The Dark Hunter leader gestured to the female. "Lariska, a master assassin," He then gestured to the other figure. "Sentrakh, my loyal bodyguard. And as for me:"

"Call me... the Shadowed One."

"How ominous." Maul rolled his eyes. "What else do you intend to offer us, _the_ Shadowed One?"

"Access to our most prized possession, which we had before the Republic and it is something they use often."

The Shadowed One gestured to Sentrakh, who came forward holding that strange spear. Without a word, the Dark Hunter jammed the spear tip into the ground, opening a small portal around it. And inside was a pool of silver liquid.

"And that is?"

"This is Energized Protodermis." The Shadowed One replied. "And it will be the key to dominating the multiverse." To say Maul and Atriox were skeptical was an understatement.

"Oh really?" Maul's eyebrow raised. "And how exactly will it do that?"

"Lariska, knife." In response, she hurled one of her daggers towards his head, which the Shadowed One effortlessly caught without looking. Not even acknowledging what appeared to be an attempted assassination, the Shadowed One took the knife and plunged it into the liquid, being careful to avoid directly touching it.

Seconds later, he pulled the blade out, and it was clearly not the same knife it had been a moment ago. The blade was much longer, almost a meter in length, with a row of serrated edges that hadn't been there before. And in the center of the blade was a line of energy, electric sparks popping out of it.

The Shadowed One swung the newly created sword at a nearby wall and a bolt of electricity lanced out, blasting a small hole into the metal. All the onlookers were looking at the weapon with barely disguised awe, leaving the Shadowed One smirking.

"This is merely scratching the surface of what Energized Protodermis can do. Anything or anyone destined to transform will do so, becoming much more powerful than what it was before."

"Anything?" Voridus repeating, looking back at the pool. On an impulse, he unsheathed his gauntlet mounted blades and dipped them in the liquid himself, before pulling them out. The two blades were now glowing orange, and with a mere gesture, twin bolts of orange energy lashed out, causing a small portion of the wall to disintegrate. "Extraordinary." The Brute whispered in awe.

"And that's how you found us." Maul realized. "You used this substance to upgrade your communication equipment."

"Indeed." The Shadowed One gestured and Sentrakh closed the portal. "This is what I offer for such an alliance. Is there anything else?"

"One last thing." Laccabeus interjected. "What can you tell us about Mata Nui?"

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. We're not finished the story quite yet, but it shouldn't be long now, with only one or two more chapters left. After that, well, I'm not sure myself, but the plot will be continued, rest assured. But I'm getting ahead of myself.**

 **Anyway, with all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	28. Epilogue

**And now we come to the last chapter of Shadow of Order. This will honestly be just a short epilogue, since previous chapters have already set up plot points for later stories in my multiverse. Anyway, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Vestara sat in the middle of what was a fairly lavish apartment for the seedy (former) capital of the Terminus Systems. It was well upholstered and even despite Maul's militarization of the station's populace, was well stocked with food and luxury items.

But despite her comfortable surroundings, she didn't exactly feel safe or secure. She was effectively a prisoner here, waiting for another Sith Lord and the Banished warlord to decide her fate.

Worse still, she couldn't go back to the First Order. Maul had explained that the reason for Snoke's behavioral changes was because he had been possessed by the spirit of Darth Sidious, the former ruler of the Galactic Empire and allegedly the greatest Sith Lord to ever live.

Even at their height, the Lost Tribe wouldn't have stood a chance against him, and if he was back now, well it obviously wouldn't spell good things for the multiverse, especially if the First Order had Separatist technology at their disposal.

Still, she didn't exactly wish to remain here, surrounded by criminals and bloodlusted warriors. But the truth of the matter was that she had nowhere to go. The First Order's influence was spreading and the Republic was liable to arrest or shoot her on sight.

There might be a glimmer of hope for her if she could contact Ben and the other Jedi, but they were in Republic space now, and she had absolutely no way to contact them anymore.

Once again, she was alone, and despite having been on her own for so long, it wasn't really an experience that she enjoyed. The Sith Meditation Sphere known as Ship had told her that her negative emotions would make her stronger. He had been right, but that only exacerbated the problem.

Coupled that with her occasional nights with Ben, and now whatever the Flood had done to the Force, and she certainly didn't feel so sure of her Sith nature any more, even if she was still living in it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt someone walking towards the door, someone who wasn't the two guards already stationed there. His presence in the Force felt... odd. Like there was something he was hiding, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

The door to the apartment opened and Vestara's hand dropped to her waist and lightsaber hilt, which the new arrival was quick to notice, putting his hands up to show he was unarmed.

"Easy, easy." He said. "I'm not armed." Idly, Vestara noted that he was a fairly attractive human being, wearing plainclothes armor of the Zann Consortium.

"Did Maul send you?" The Keshiri Sith asked, then narrowed her eyes when he shook his head.

"Not exactly. The Death Watch want me to ask you some questions about your time with the First Order."

"And they sent a new recruit alone?" Her suspicions were raised now, this whole scenario felt off. He certainly didn't sound deceitful and even the Force told her that he was telling the truth, but she didn't believe it. "You're lying." Her visitor chuckled briefly.

"Smart girl." He lowered his hands, now completely calm in the room, even as Vestara pulled her lightsaber out and ignited it. "You can put that away, I'm not here to fight you."

"Then why come to me?" She pointed her red blade at his neck.

"Because I believe we can help each other." He grabbed the blade itself, and except for a brief grimace, he didn't react, gently pushing the blade away from him. "I know you don't want to be here. But since you are, we can do something productive together."

Vestara deactivated her lightsaber and backed away from the strange man, looking around the room at the cameras no doubt hidden and watching her at the moment. He seemed to follow her train of thought.

"The cameras won't see any of this. We can talk privately here and they won't know it."

"What about the guards outside?" Vestara countered. "They saw you come in."

"Did they?" The man smirked before he faded away, and his voice came from behind her. "You'll find I have a few tricks up my sleeve." She whirled around, finding her guest standing a few feet behind her now.

"Who are you?" Vestara asked.

"For now, you can call me Kilo Nosnido."

* * *

Back in the meeting room, the Shadowed One had just finished the fairly lengthy story of Mata Nui's history, the biography having become a history lesson at some point. Despite admitting that he was missing some details, he had given details that Maul, Atriox and Laccabeus were looking for.

"And that's more or less what happened." The Shadowed One said. "A few of the details may be off, but that is the basic history."

"Well that was certainly an interesting story." Maul said. "Hardly the most unbelievable of course, but it is fascinating. And alarming."

"And this 'Spherus Magna' is the Republic's capital world?" Atriox asked. "I don't suppose you'd be able to tell us where it is?" The Shadowed One shook his head.

"Not in the way that you want." The leader of the Dark Hunters said. "As I mentioned, the only reason we even escaped that planet was because of that Portal Storm. We have no way to get back even if we wanted to."

"And you say this planet has more of this Energized Protodermis?" Laccabeus clarified. "Well that certainly helps explain why the Republic is so advanced."

"And now we have access to that same material." The Shadowed One nodded to Sentrakh, who activated the spear again. "If you want to test it out, go for it."

With barely a moment's hesitation, the Banished warlord pulled his gravity mace out and plunged it in. Seconds later, Atriox pulled Chainbreaker out of the liquid, and it was a vastly different weapon than it was before.

The weapon's energy blades were much more pronounced, and from a brief test of the gravity generator, Atriox could determine that Chainbreaker was now capable of moving a tank with anti-gravity. As he was admiring it, a stray memory called back to the Shadowed One's previous explanation.

"Earlier, you mentioned that anything or anyone destined to transform would do so in this substance." Atriox noted, turning back to the Shadowed One. "What happens if something is not destined to transform?"

"It will be destroyed." The leader of the Dark Hunters admitted after a moment's hesitation. "Completely and utterly." This news caused everyone to take a step back from the portal.

"So we have to do this by trial and error?" Pavium asked, eyeing the Energized Protodermis with distaste. "That seems inefficient."

"Or you could just ask." Before everyone's startled eyes, the Energized Protodermis churned, as a figure formed from the liquid. "I am capable of determining whether something or someone is destined to transform, though I'll admit, even I can't determine exactly what one will transform into."

"I'm assuming you didn't know this substance was alive." Maul looked at the Dark Hunters, the shock clearly evident on their faces. Turning to the substance, which was now mirroring his own form, he continued speaking. "Why reveal yourself to us?"

"Because I find your intentions interesting." The entity said. "The Republic has had sole access to my form for so long. I'm curious to see what you will do with my power. Especially since you're destined to transform."

* * *

On Starkiller Base, production and industry had tripled ever since they had gained Separatist technology, and the First Order had been quick to capitalize on that technology as much as they could.

But as their capabilities increased, so to did the act of sabotage. Several First Order facilities had been damaged or destroyed, with almost no survivors to explain what had happened.

It was just as well that they died, otherwise the Supreme Leader would've had them executed for incompetence, but it also meant that they had no real evidence as to who was behind this.

Palpatine knew who it was, of course. The Republic doubtlessly were willing to commit espionage to keep the First Order vulnerable. It seemed that Mata Nui was not as foolish as the Sith Lord thought, and with no evidence, the First Order didn't have much pretext to attack back.

Nevertheless, it was still minimal damage, and with the Galactic Alliance and Imperial Remnant nominally under the First Order banner, they would continue to grow in time.

Furthermore, it wasn't like the Republic could admit to it either, and they were still acting diplomatically in public. For instance, there had been an appeal to the Republic to have Inferno Squadron released back to the First Order. So far, it looked like they might acquiesce.

This meant that they could also focus on their other major problems: the Shadow Collective, Banished and UNSC. The operation against the former two had resulted in a brief skirmish with the latter, who had been driven off over one of their worlds.

So far, there wasn't really anything suggesting the UNSC would take action, which was alarming unto itself. But that event had brought unusual news: when the First Order had invaded the planet looking for the Shadow Collective base, all the ground soldiers had been killed and a strange woman with unusual powers had retrieved the data they were looking for and offered it in exchange for a ride.

Now that woman was being brought before the Supreme Leader, who had just finished his talks with the Red Skull. His skills and knowledge had certainly proved useful, and Palpatine gave him a position in the First Order, while ensuring to keep a watchful eye on him.

But now it was time to receive the next unexpected guest.

...

Raven Branwen looked through the viewport at the snow covered wastes of Starkiller Base. It was certainly an impressive looking facility, and what she had seen of this First Order so far reminded her of Atlas, except on a much larger scale.

As loathe as she was to join up with someone like that, she knew that she didn't have much of an option. She had burned whatever bridges she could've gained from those criminal factions when she ransacked their base, and the data she had plus her own skills would likely be enough to keep them from killing her.

She was still on guard, ready to activate her Aura at a moment's notice if it seemed like the Stormtroopers around her would turn hostile at a moment's notice, all the while thinking about how she had come to be here.

It had started with those Flood creatures, the ones that had attacked Remnant from the sky. She had been forced to fight them off, thankfully having encountered so few, but the Grimm's behavior around them had certainly gained her notice.

They were directly aiding the Parasite against mankind and the Faunus, leaving a lot of questions about Salem and her relationship with these monsters. But she hadn't been thinking of that at the time.

She had been in the fight of her life during that half of an hour, all the while a voice kept speaking from the sky. Then abruptly, it ended, as all the Flood abruptly disintegrated, as energy destroyed some of the Grimm in the process.

She barely had time to sigh in relief before a strange energy storm had appeared. She had tried to avoid it in raven form, but it had engulfed her and spat her out on that unknown planet, completely trapped until the mercenaries had unintentionally freed her.

After killing them and getting her bearings, she had tried to use her Semblance to teleport back home, but rather alarmingly, she found that she couldn't. Whether that meant her family was all dead or she was out of range was unclear, but the end result was the same: she was stranded on an alien world.

Raven had noticed it during her time on that other planet. Dust should've been rendered inert outside of Remnant, but even during her journey into space, it was still working fine. That either meant the scientists of Remnant were wrong about Dust's properties, or something had altered its very nature.

And given what she had heard about what was going on in the multiverse, she was starting to believe that it was the latter. That very concept itself was enough to make Raven's head spin, and for many others on Remnant, it would be impossible to wrap their heads around.

But after hearing all of Ozpin's story, it really wasn't that difficult for her to accept. Of course, living in such a reality was not what she had in mind for her life, but in the end, it wouldn't matter. The weak would perish and the strong would survive.

She would survive, as she always had.

...

When they led the new arrival into the newly created throne room, Darth Sidious carefully sensed her presence in the Force. She was certainly powerful, almost as much as several of those heroes that had appeared on Vardos.

If there were more of such warriors in existence, then finding their source and claiming it before the Republic could was a top priority. But first this one would have to be brought to heel. Palpatine could already sense defiance in her, which needed to be stamped out.

"So you are the one who has the data." The Supreme Leader stood up. "I must say, I expected more."

"And I was hoping for someone a little less full of themselves." Raven looked around at the wide and empty space surrounding the throne. "Life is full of disappointments."

"You ask a lot of my patience, bandit." Palpatine said quietly, which brought a flicker of surprise to Raven's face. "Yes, I know what you are. I can sense your thoughts, your emotions, your lies. And your sincerity about joining our cause is the only thing keeping you alive. For your sake, your skills better prove useful."

"Is this how you start negotiations in your universe?" Raven was quick to regain her composure. "Threatening people who offer their aid? Then again, when you sit on a throne all day, you're bound to be a man who hides behind armies of men and machines."

Guards and soldiers in the room tensed, more than willing to deal with the human who dared to insult their Supreme Leader, but Palpatine merely chuckled and waved them back.

"My you have spirit, don't you?" He settled back into his throne. "You will make a fine addition to the First Order... provided you survive your test."

...

Raven was led to an arena, obviously designed to test her abilities. She wasn't surprised by this Snoke's desire to see her in action, though she was annoyed by having to go through something like it.

Her estimation of the man was inconclusive. He certainly had the trappings of a tinpot dictator, but something about the way he radiated power almost seemed mesmerizing, almost making her desire to join him with little effort.

She resolved not to be sucked in so easily.

"Your alleged bodycount is certainly impressive." Snoke's voice came over the intercom. "Few warriors can claim to kill multiple Spartans by themselves. However, I am interested in seeing your abilities firsthand." Several doors opened, and multiple robotic soldiers stepped out, each with a sword and shield embedded in their wrists. "Show us what you can do."

With memories about her initiation into Beacon still fresh in her mind, Raven began the fight.

* * *

"Very impressive." Red Skull watched from the vantage point alongside the Supreme Leader. "She is not going to be easy to sway."

"I don't expect her to fall so easily." Palpatine replied. "But she will. I can guarantee it."

Raven was on her fifth wave and showed no signs of slowing down. A variety of infantry units and even light armor had been brought in to face her, but she had torn through all of them, using her unique weapons and strange powers. During it all, it seemed that she was protected by some sort of shield around her body, but there didn't seem to be any technological means for her to do so.

Of course, looks could be deceiving.

The Supreme Leader did recognize the substance coating her blade: Dust, the same material Lex Luthor had been quick to display in their makeshift bazaar. The First Order had failed to acquire any samples thanks to the fiasco on Vardos, but now it seemed that either fate or the Force itself had provided him a second chance at obtaining this substance.

Which meant keeping Raven alive would be essential, as would finding her homeworld. Taking an elevator down to the arena floor, Palpatine, Red Skull and a collection of guards alongside the Phase III Dark Trooper walked out just as Raven was finishing off her last opponent.

"That's enough." Palpatine said, as the fifth wave came to a close. "You certainly are talented."

"I take it I've earned a spot in your little club?" Raven turned to the Sith and his entourage.

"Indeed." The older human gestured to Skull and several of the guards. "They will escort you to our quarters."

Raven had a look of disgust upon seeing the Red Skull, but simply nodded as the procession began leaving. Meanwhile, Darth Sidious had another opportunity ahead of him, as the First Order technicians had finally decoded the Shadow Collective's data disk.

The data Maul had been hoping to attain was on the whereabouts of a little known Dark Side-using Force sect known as the Knights of Ren. His apprentice had no doubt hoped to recruit them into his own army, but had lost the opportunity when the Flood attacked.

Darth Sidious had no intention of wasting time, and ordered his ship prepared. With such forces under his command, he would be unstoppable. Even the irreparable damage to the Force couldn't change that.

Darkness would fall over the multiverse, ensuring his rule for the rest of eternity.

...

Far from known civilized space, a tiny crack in reality itself appeared, looking like damaged but intact glass in the middle of space. Despite the lack of sound in the vacuum of space, had any living being been nearby, they might have heard a primordial roar, so muted that it sounded like a strained whisper.

And just as quickly as it appeared, the tear in reality vanished, leaving an empty void in the stars once more.

* * *

 **Well, that was certainly an ominous ending, wasn't it? Rest assured, that will become important later on, as well quite a few things that this story ended up setting up and dealing with.**

 **I'll be honest, when I started this story, even I didn't realize the full extent of how many twists and turns would happen in this fic, let alone how it would affect the rest of my multiverse.**

 **I'm not sure what exactly will come next, I may take a break from the larger scale stories and go smaller in scale. I was thinking of doing something with AvP and the Maze Runner films, but I'm undecided at the moment.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this story and reviews are always welcome.**


	29. Update

**Update: The sequel to this story, Shattered Destinies, has been posted.**


End file.
